


bee stings and hospital pillows (and an attractive doctor, too)

by ribkages



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hospital, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Big Sister Alex Danvers, F/F, Happy Ending, Kara is allergic to bees, Lena Luthor is a doctor, Light Angst, SuperCorp
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-06-11 00:40:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15303648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ribkages/pseuds/ribkages
Summary: When an allergic reaction to a bee sting leaves Kara in the hospital, the only thing distracting her from the searing pain in her side a mountain of pillows and more morphine than she probably needed, a doctor with unforgettable green eyes and an addictive smile leaves Kara looking forward to the nights she'd get to see the woman again. She didn't expect the doctor to be as sweet as she was, and she definitely didn't expect to get the doctors phone number just before being discharged.Kara certainly didn't expect to find herself wondering how she was going to make a relationship with a doctor who had an impossible schedule work.





	1. Chapter 1

It’s not that Kara meant to end up in the hospital, really. She didn’t want to, but, ya know, when life gives you a terrible bee allergy and it’s the middle of the summer, and you have a window that doesn’t quite shut all of the way (your landlord keeps forgetting to get someone in there to fix it, but you don’t mind) so a bee just so happens to find that opening and make its way into your apartment and you spook it, so it stings you… you end up in the hospital.

So there Kara was, laying in a hospital bed on her left side with a nasty bee sting that was swelling to the size of a golf ball on her right hip. She was on a lot of anti-inflammatory medication and a gnarly amount of painkillers per her request. They weren’t exactly necessary, but Kara didn’t do well with pain, and the nurses were probably tired of her whining. Even Alex was sighing at Kara’s incessant whimpering earlier in the day when Kara first arrived at the ER.

She felt much better after a few hours, but hospital boredom was all too real, and gosh, there was _nothing_ interesting on cable. Nighttime television was a drag, and it was too early in the night for Kara to be tired. Kara pushed her nurse button and asked for a few extra pillows, squeaking happily when the nurse came in with enough pillows for a small army. Kara set about arranging the pillows, covering her body completely until just her head was visible through the mountain of white.

Kara didn’t realize she had fallen asleep until a doctor was standing over her, green eyes peering quizzically into her own ocean blues, and Kara grimaced. “I’m not moving the pillows.”

“You don’t have to. I just wanted to see if there was a person underneath all of _that._ ” She gesticulated widely at the plethora of pillows and looked at the monitor above Kara’s bed, writing some numbers down on her clipboard. “I was starting to think that the pillows grew a heartbeat.”

The doctor walked around Kara’s bed and fiddled with the IV bags containing what Kara assumed was her pain medicine and some other fluids. She didn’t say much of anything, just kept writing. Kara furrowed her brow and tried to peak at what the woman was writing but couldn’t make anything out. She averted her eyes when the woman’s head swung around to look at her, her ponytail of black hair whipping around her shoulder. “I’m going to start weening you off that pain medicine. Ibuprofen should have been sufficient enough for a little bee sting.”

Kara grumbled to herself as the doctor walked out of her room, sinking further into her pillows.

It was very late at night before a nurse came in and told Kara she needed to redress Kara’s wound, but Kara was very tired, and she was _very_ not in the mood to move. She made no effort to follow the nurse’s instructions and the nurse just grimaced and scribbled something down on her notepad, walking out of the room.

Kara should have felt bad—she normally would have, but she was in pain and she really wanted to go to sleep.

She almost had the chance before there was a knock on her door and the doctor walked in, the nurse in toe, and she smiled a practiced smile, “Hello again Miss Danvers, I never quite introduced myself. I’m Dr. Luthor, and we’re going to look at that nasty little sting real fast.” She asked the nurse where the bee sting was and before Kara could say anything, Dr. Luthor was pushing pillows to the ground. She raised her eyebrows at Kara and gestured to her shirt, indicating for Kara to lift it up so she could see the sting.

Kara couldn’t get any words out as she watched the doctor and the nurse looks at her expectantly, and she just grabbed the hem of her shirt and wiggled it up.

“Thank you.” The doctor's voice was genuine, and Kara couldn’t find it in her to be mad anymore. She stared out the window as they took the bandage off of her bee sting and inspected it, wincing in pain when Dr. Luthor poked and prodded at it, apologizing quietly. “Can you sit up for me?”

Kara did so, more pillows falling to the floor. Dr. Luthor motioned for the nurse to come closer, and they studied the sting.

The nurse looked at Dr. Luthor, then straightened up and looked at Kara, “It’s infected.”

Dr. Luthor nodded, “You’re going to be in here for a little longer, we don’t want to send you home with an infected wound like that.”

Kara looked down at the swell, vibrant yellow pus accumulating around the edge of the opening, and she grimaced. “Oh, wow. That’s… gross.” She didn’t want to look at it anymore, so she opted to look up at the doctor instead, and _oh._ She was gorgeous. Wow.

“Yes, just a little,” Dr. Luthor actually chuckled, then asked the nurse to hand her some sterilized gauze. They applied a weird smelling cream to the sting and they patched it up with fresh bandages before Dr. Luthor pulled out her stethoscope and listened to Kara’s breath sounds, then felt her pulse, writing everything down on her clipboard. “Can you breathe through your mouth for me? Give me a deep breath.” Kara did it and she could feel the tightness in her throat as she did so, “your upper airway is still slightly inflamed… Jackie, can you please call respiratory and get have them give her nebulized racemic epinephrine? And we’re going to wean her off the morphine.”

They walked out of the room and Kara sat up in her bed, dumbfounded. _Racemic what?_  She grabbed a pillow off the ground and laid down, staring up at the ceiling. ‘ _What kind of doctor—you know what, nevermind.’_ Kara’s exhaustion was evident when she let out a big yawn, falling asleep after a few minutes. When a man came into her room a little while later, she sat up groggily while he put a mask over her face and gave her a breathing treatment, nodding off a few times during. Kara couldn’t wait to be home where people weren’t coming into her room at odd hours of the night.

She was woken up in the morning to a familiar voice, her eyes lazily falling open to see Alex sitting beside her bed, her phone camera pointed right at her. “I hope you’re not taking pictures,” she grumbled.

“Oh look, you’re awake!” Alex put her phone down next to her and moved to sit beside Kara on her bed. “Your doctor told me you still managed to give them a hard time while drugged up on morphine, and they had to confiscate an ‘ _obscene_ amount of pillows’. Also, can I just say that Dr. Luthor is _cute._ ” She waggled her eyebrows at Kara, poking her sister in the side a few times.

Kara groaned and swatted Alex’s arm, “She’s—She’s fine.”

Alex raised her eyebrows at her, both of their attention falling to the door where a few knocks interrupted their conversation. Dr. Luthor stood inside the doorway, a soft smile spread across her face upon seeing the two of them. “Good morning Miss Danvers,” she nodded to Alex as well and Kara straightened out in her bed.

“You can just call me Kara.” She rubbed her eyes and stretched out, yawning.

Dr. Luthor hummed, her smile never faltering, and she simply went about checking Kara’s breath sounds, then assessed her throat swelling. She noted that it had gone down significantly, and she was happy to see some positive results.

Alex moved to her chair to get out of the way, as the doctor rounded the bed, “does that mean she can go home?”

“Well, let’s take a look at that sting.” She waited for Kara to lift up her shirt before peeling the bandage back and furrowing a well-sculpted brow, “It’s looking a little healthier, but it’s still grossly infected… she’s going to have to stay a little longer. Just until that thing stops looking so…”

Alex peered over Kara and looked at the wound, her nose scrunching up in disgust, “…revolting?”

“For lack of a better word, yes.” She applied the cream and put a new bandage on it.

Kara watched her the entire time. She shamelessly stared at the woman’s facial features as she studied her, watched her eyebrows furrow together in deep thought as she inspected her wound, watched the woman’s gloved fingers gently poke at the swell on her side, flushing slightly when Dr. Luthor looked up and caught her staring, smiling warmly at her with those deep red lips and bright green eyes that contrasted perfectly, somehow managing to look even more prettier than the last time she saw them.

Alex waggled her eyebrows at Kara when Dr. Luthor left, “I bet you’re not mad about spending a few more days with _her._ ”

“Oh my god, stop.” Kara groaned, flopping down into her pillow. She ignored the blush creeping up her neck at the thought of seeing Dr. Luthor again soon.

She didn’t see her doctor until late at night after Alex had gone home. Kara was typing away on her computer that Alex had so graciously brought her so she could work on some of her articles when there was a gentle knock on the door, followed by a familiar head of jet black hair peeking inside the room.

Dr. Luthor’s hair was French braided, and she wore a different shade of red lipstick. Kara looked her over and she was wearing a completely different outfit underneath her long lab coat. “Did you change?”

The woman looked down and ran a hand over her burgundy blouse, chuckling, “Oh—I work the night shift.” She came in and did her usual, inspecting Kara’s wound and listing to her breath sounds, taking all her vitals. She glanced at Kara’s screen, “are you a writer?”

Kara hummed, changing the wording in one of her sentences, “I’m a reporter for CatCo magazine.” Her heart raced when Lena touched the small of her back as she listened again to Kara’s breath sounds. She blushed when the machine above her started beeping, indicating a spike in her heart rhythm.

“For CatCo, huh? Is Miss Grant still…”

“Miss Grant? Yes.”

Dr. Luthor laughed and put her stethoscope around her neck, jotting some stuff down on her notepad. She looked up at Kara for a moment, then tilted her head to the side, “Danvers… So you’re Kara Danvers—the reporter who grilled Jack Spheer at his presentation a few years ago?”

Kara chuckled at the memory, fiddling with her glasses, “guilty.”

“Wow, that’s—you’re a fantastic reporter. I read that article and it was… brutal.” She had a wicked smile on her lips as she looked over Kara. Dr. Luthor’s lips parted to allow her to say whatever she was going to say, but she was paged overhead, and she gave the ceiling an exasperated look before looking back at Kara, a smile gracing her lips, and she stepped out.

The monitor started beeping incessantly at Kara’s rapid heartbeat, and she groaned, wishing she could reach up and turn the monitor off. A nurse came in and silenced it, giving Kara a strange look. “Your blood pressure got a little higher… are you in pain?”

Kara shook her head no, going back to typing when the nurse left. Dr. Luthor saying she was a fantastic reporter replayed in her head over and over again, her fingers still over the keyboard. After a few minutes of reading and then rereading the same sentence, Kara shut her laptop and moved it to the chair beside her bed and laid down, falling asleep a few minutes later.

If she said she didn’t dream about Dr. Luthor touching the bare skin on her back, her bright green eyes boring into the depths of her soul, Kara shivering at the touch, she’d be lying.

She was woken up by the soft voice of Dr. Luthor whispering her name. She blinked a few times at the woman, her braid draped over her shoulder, and hummed. She seemed to be everywhere tonight… In Kara’s room, in her thoughts, in her _dreams._

Dr. Luthor patted her gently on the shoulder, “you can go back to sleep, I just wanted to wake you to let you know I’m going to be looking at your wound again.”

“Mmh, it’s fine. I can at least sit up for you.” Kara yawned and moved to sit up, but the doctor's firm hand on her shoulder stopped her.

“Kara, it’s five AM. Just sleep—I can sit you up myself.” She pushed a button on the bed that raised the bed and made Kara sit up just enough for her to be able to clean her bee sting.

Kara grumbled, but closed her eyes, “oh, are we finally on a first name basis?”

She heard a chuckle from the woman as she gently lifted Kara’s shirt above the bandages, “well considering you keep calling me doctor…”

“What’s your first name, then?”

“Lena.”

Kara repeated the name in her head a few times, sleep a distant thought compared to the name _Lena Luthor._ “Lena… that’s nice.”

Lena hummed in agreement, rubbing some more antiinfection cream on her bee sting and sticking a new bandage on it. “You’re all cleaned up. Do you need anything else? Maybe twelve more pillows?”

Kara snorted as she looked back and Lena, “only if you put them on me. I’m too tired to move.”

“Sure.” Lena spun on her heel and left, returning a minute later with an armful of pillows, covering Kara in them.

Laughing, Kara settled into her bed and watched Lena shove pillows underneath her, throwing the extras across her body. “Shouldn’t you be saving lives or something?” Kara asked once all of the pillows were in their place.

Lena grinned, “well, considering all of my patients are sleeping right now, not particularly.”

Kara stared at the woman standing beside her bed, her hands shoved in the pockets of her lab coat. Lena had a few pens sitting in her breast pocket, the words “Lena Luthor, M.D.” stitched neatly on the other side. She cleared her throat when she realized she was staring, meeting the doctors gaze. She didn’t want her to leave just yet, so she asked, “what do you do all night, then?”

The doctor shrugged, “I check vitals, chart vitals, create plans of care for the day shift doctors… clean up bee sting wounds when I need to. The usual.”

Kara chuckled softly, “doesn’t that get boring?”

“Sometimes. Certain blondes with low pain tolerances make my night a tad better, though.” Lena’s smile was wide, and she started laughing when Kara blushed and grumbled to herself, insisting that she did _not_ have a low pain tolerance. “I have patients to look after. Goodnight, Kara. I’ll check up on you in the morning.”

Kara didn’t fall asleep as easily that night. She stayed up for almost an hour, wondering about Lena Luthor, thinking about her velvety voice and her forest green eyes that she loved getting lost in, and _god,_ she had a little schoolgirl crush on her doctor. _Fantastic._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day? Sure thing!

A bright light shined right in Kara’s eyes and she grumbled as she sat up, her eyes tugging open to find the reason for the offense. She just wanted a good night’s sleep. Just one. Alex popped up in her line of sight, holding out a bag full of food from a diner down the street. “Wakey wakey eggs and bakey… there’s actually no bacon, though. I got you sausage instead.”

Kara’s sleepiness was forgotten, replaced with a surge of energy at the sight of something other than bland hospital food to eat. She smiled gratefully at her sister as she grabbed the container, popping the lid open and inhaling the scent of searing hot meat, “have I ever told you how much I love you?” she took a bite of sausage and moaned in delight.

“Love you too, kiddo.” They ate together, and Kara wondered if anything exciting (dangerous) was happening with the FBI, happy to hear Alex say there wasn't. Alex gave Kara her sausage, studying her sister carefully as she happily ate her sausage. Kara was practically glowing. “So, how was last night with your favorite doctor?”

Kara nearly choked on her egg. _“Alex,_ jeez. It was… average. Perfectly normal.” Kara felt her neck grow hot.

Alex skeptically raised her eyebrows but didn’t say anything as she ate her pancake. She didn't need to have good investigative skills to know that normal meant something else entirely when it came to Kara.

A few minutes later, the doctor knocked on the door, a smile decorating her lips as she looked at Kara, then nodded in Alex’s direction. “Good morning.” Clipboard in hand, she walked up to the side of Kara’s bed and checked over the numbers on the monitors, “did you sleep well?” she asked, jotting the numbers down on her clipboard.

Kara nodded, lifting her shirt up when Lena came up to the side of her bed and crouched down, “I did.”

“I’m glad.” Lena hummed, peeling the bandage off and inspecting the wound. “Your swelling has gone down significantly, and look—the infection is almost completely gone.”

Alex peered over the side of the bed and looked at the sting, “so she’s almost ready to go home?”

Kara didn’t expect the sinking feeling in her chest to appear, but it did, and she tried her best to keep her heart steady, breathing slowly and deeply.

Lena nodded, “We can discharge her tomorrow morning.” Lena grabbed her stethoscope and listened to Kara’s breath sounds, having Kara open her mouth so she could look at the swelling in her throat. Kara’s tongue was in the way and Lena reached out, gently grasping Kara’s chin, her thumb resting on her lower lip as she peered inside her mouth, “the inflammation has gone down completely, too.” Lena let go, glancing up at the monitor when it started beeping, indicating Kara’s heart had started beating faster. “Are you alright?” she noticed the red color in Kara’s cheeks, jotting something down on her clipboard.

“I’m perfectly fine, yes.” Kara breathed, her eyes fixated on the wall beside Lena.

Lena clicked her pen closed, “good, well, I’ll see you later.”

Once she left, Alex broke out in a fit of giggles, “way to go miss subtle.” She laughed, despite Kara yelling at her to be quiet, which only made her laugh harder.

Alex spent a few more hours with her, gathering some of Kara’s extra things she wouldn’t need considering she was leaving in the morning anyway. She had a new outfit for Kara, taking the laundry with her as well.

James and Winn came and visited later in the night, presenting Kara with a card that a bunch of their coworkers signed. She laughed at the array of dorky doodles on the card and set in on her table, thanking her friends. The two men provided a welcomed distraction for a while until visiting hours were nearing their end, and she was sad to see them both get up to go.

"You sure you don't want us to stay the night?" James didn't mind sleeping on the couch, and they both knew Winn could fall asleep anywhere so he'd be fine on a pull out bed.

Kara shook her head, "no, no... I'm coming home tomorrow morning, you guys don't need to stay here." 

James shrugged, pulling Kara into a tight hug before Winn hopped over to do the same, waving goodbye as they closed Kara's door.

Kara had only her own thoughts to keep her company in the silence of her room, and she caught herself wishing for a certain doctors visit. She needed to distract herself. Lena wasn't the only doctor in the hospital. And it's not like Kara really  _needed_ Lena to dress her bee sting. Usually, the nurses were the ones who cleaned up the wound during the day... but it was never a nurse that did so at night.

She hoped that finishing up her article would provide plenty of distraction to keep her mind occupied, but her attention swayed towards the doctor every time she heard footsteps outside her door come and go. 

 

* * *

 

 There was no sign of Dr. Luthor for a few hours, and Kara was beginning to grow restless. It wasn’t until midnight when a gentle knock at the door pulled Kara's attention away from her computer, and a wide smile spread across her lips at the sight of familiar green eyes watching her from the doorway.

Kara shut the lid of her laptop, inviting Lena in. She didn’t even have to ask what had taken her so long before Lena was saying, “I was stuck in a trauma for three hours, I’m sorry I’m a little late.” She stepped to the edge of the bed, clipboard in hand, and she was flipping through a bunch of papers. Kara could tell she was frazzled.

“It’s okay. I’m just glad my favorite doctor is still paying me a visit.” Kara grinned up at Lena, her smile growing wider when Lena tried her best to conceal her smirk, failing miserably.

They went through their usual routine, Lena changing her bandage and checking her vitals, Kara blushing like a massive dork at the close proximity. Lena made conversation as she felt Kara’s pulse, watching her watch in the process, “I’m surprised you’re not asleep.”

Kara sighed, “I couldn’t. I’m not really tired, to be honest.” She met Lena’s eyes when she finished checking her pulse, watching Lena seemingly mull something over.

“Well, when I can’t sleep I like to get up and do something until I’m tired. Do you want to take a walk?” Lena tucked her clipboard under her arm and watched Kara with an open gaze.

Kara’s heart monitor beeped a few times, stopping when she managed to calm her heartbeat. “Hospitals at night sound scary…”

“That’s alright, I can come with you. You’d need to be supervised anyway. Plus, it gives me something to do.” Lena shrugged, waiting quietly for Kara’s decision.

Kara nodded, flushing slightly as the prospect of Lena and her going on a walk. _Alone._

“Great, I’ll—oh. We have to take the—” Lena pointed to her own chest, letting Kara know that she had to take the leads off of the stickers on her chest.

Kara looked down at her own chest, “oh, um… yeah. Sure.” She lifted her shirt up, her free arm coming up to cover her breasts as Lena unclipped all of the leads. Her hands were freezing, and Kara shivered slightly when one of her icy fingertips grazed the side of her breast.

“Sorry—they put this one in a weird spot.” She stepped back when she was done, walking around to the other side to grab the IV drip pole and untangle some of the tubes, hooking up only what Kara needed. “Here you go,” she pushed the pole to Kara so she could hold it and kept her steady when she stood up, firm hand on the small of Kara’s back that she didn’t remove until she was sure the blonde wouldn’t fall over.

“Thank you,” her and Kara started their journey through the hospital, and Kara looked around the long corridors of hallways, hallway lights dimmed almost completely. “This is terrifying. How the heck do you work here at _night?”_

Lena chuckled and led her to the left, “It’s not so bad. There are nurses and other staff here to keep you company. I’d hate to be at the front desk, though. They’re all alone down there.” Lena took Kara past an elevator and to the other side of the floor, saying hi to the nurses who were sitting behind the desk.

Kara didn’t miss the way some of their eyes lingered on the doctor, and she felt a burning sensation blister in the center of her chest. “Are you married?”

“No.” Lena shrugged.

“Oh.” Kara pursed her lips and they walked a few more steps, looking over at Lena, who was staring out the windows, watching the city lights twinkle in the darkness of the night. Lena was smart... she was beautiful, she was kind, so, “Why not?”

Lena turned her head and looked at her, “why am I not married?” She couldn’t help her smile when Kara nodded, “med school kept me too busy, I suppose.”

“But you’re not in med school anymore.”

“You really are a _fantastic_ reporter.” Lena chuckled, deciding to indulge Kara a little bit, “I haven’t thought about dating, to be honest. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I want to share my life with someone at some point, but I’ve been too busy… up until recently.” Her and Kara’s eyes met for a moment, and they both smiled before watching their feet move as they walked. After a few moments of comfortable silence, Lena spoke up with a dangerous tease to her voice, “why, are you interested?”

Kara’s eyes went wide, and she started sputtering out a response, “what—no. I mean—yes, but not like… it’s—”

“Relax, Kara. I’m just teasing you.” She nudged the blonde.

Kara let out a sigh of relief, going back to walking beside the doctor.

They reached the other side of the hallway and decided to circle around, the silence interrupted once again by Lena’s gentle voice, “however I won't be violating any laws by saying I wouldn’t be opposed to a certain blonde being interested.”

Kara’s blush came in full force, and she swore she looked like a tomato by Lena’s loud laugh. “You’re flirting with me.”

Lena grinned, “I am. Is it working?”

“Maybe a little…” Kara grumbled, watching her feet carry her down the long hallway. They reached the nurse's desk and Kara let out a yawn. She tried to blink away her sleep, but Lena’s little exercise worked because she was being led into her room and eased into her bed.

Lena got Kara hooked back up to the heart monitor, making sure to vigorously rub her hands together before touching Kara’s skin, then hooked her back up to all of her fluids. By the time she was done, Kara was snoring softly, and Lena smiled, leaving her alone for the next few hours.

\-----

The next time Dr. Luthor came into Kara’s room to change her bandage, Kara woke up only to acknowledge Lena's existence, then fell back asleep. Lena figured she must have been really tired, and she left her alone after switching out the bandage to go do her rounds. They received another trauma in the ER and Lena rushed to that one, hoping that they could get the patient stable and taken down to the ICU in time for her to see Kara before the day shift doctor took over.

Lena spent a few grueling hours in the trauma unit working as hard as she could to get a young man stable. She and a team of other medical professionals ended up having to do CPR when the patient went into cardiac arrest, and by the time they got back a stable heart rhythm, everyone was exhausted. That steady bump in the line on the monitor made it all worth it, though, and everyone smiled tiredly before setting about hooking the patient up to a ventilator. Two traumas in one shift. Both successful.  _All in a days work,_ Lena sighed. She hunted down her clipboard and jotted down a few notes so she could chart the occurrence later, nearly choking on air when she noticed the time. Kara was leaving in less than an hour, and Lena had to beat the day shift doctor in order to see her off.

She rushed down the hallway, eyes widening in panic when she saw the day shift doctor clocking in, and she bolted down the hallway. Lena rushed around to the nurses’ station and found a sticky note, writing down in red pen her phone number, then ripped it off and she stood up straight, breathing in deeply to steady her nerves. She walked down the long hallway before finding herself frozen in front of Kara's door. Lena tensed up before rolling her shoulders back, lifting a fist up to knock. Kara's voice invited her in, and she entered. She met her sister’s eyes first and smiled at Alex, greeting both of them. The second she met those dazzling blue eyes, Lena couldn't look away.

Kara’s sister excused herself, saying she needed coffee. They were alone.

Lena stepped to the edge of the bed and Kara sat up completely, “ready to go home?” her chest tightened as the words came out. She really hoped this wouldn't be the last time she'd see the blonde.

Kara nodded, and Lena set about disconnecting her from all of her cords, a nurse coming in to take out Kara’s IV. Lena changed her bandage, then wrote Kara a prescription for anti-inflammatories and the ointment cream Lena had been using on her infected sting. She took that opportunity to stick the sticky note with her phone number on the prescription, smiling when Kara blushed and grinned at her. It was ridiculous how bright and sunny it was, and it was Lena’s heartbeat that became erratic for a chance. Though, she imagined Kara’s was doing the same.

Alex came back, and Lena instructed Kara on how to care for her sting, telling her to try not to get stung again in a teasing voice, drawing a laugh from Alex.

They finished the paperwork, and Lena led Kara and her sister to the elevator, waving bye with a wide smile on her face as the door closed, and Kara was gone.

She hoped she’d meet her again soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Kara stepped through the threshold of her apartment, her lungs expanding to compensate for the influx of familiar air she sucked in. It was good to be home. Alex came in behind her and went right to the kitchen to get a bowl of fruit loops, and Kara trotted to her couch and plopped right down with a satisfied groan.

Lena’s phone number was already in her phone. All Kara had to do was send her a text. Easy. Super duper simple.

Well, it should have been. Kara’s fingers made no effort to type anything when she pulled out her phone.

“Who’re you texting?” Alex plopped down next to Kara, legs folded underneath her. She took a bite of her cereal and peered curiously over at Kara’s phone, frowning when her sister hid the screen from her.

Kara blushed, reading Lena’s name for the hundredth time. “It’s uh… Dr. Luthor’s phone number.”

“What?” Alex’s eyes flew open and she grabbed Kara’s phone, eyebrows raising when she saw Lena’s name plastered on the screen, “seriously? Holy shit… what are you gonna say?”

She hadn’t thought that far yet. “I don’t know. Should I just say hi and tell her it’s me?” her mind came up with a goal, but she didn’t know how to formulate a proper sentence. Probably from being so overwhelmed by the fact that she got a cute doctors phone number, but who’s keeping track?

“That sounds simple enough.” Alex grabbed for her cereal and ate spoonful’s of fruit loops, occasionally pausing to tell Kara if something was too much or too weird.

_“Hey, It’s Kara. Thank you for taking care of me the past couple of days.”_

They read the words over and over again (mostly Kara,) and Alex gave Kara an encouraging smile, “perfect. Send it.” She sent it. “Way to go, sis. Should I start planning the baby shower?” A couch pillow came flying at her face, and Alex had a split second to dodge it. She laughed, “boy or girl?” Kara managed to strike her with the pillow that time, and Alex retrieved it and threw it right back.

Kara knew that Lena was likely sleeping by then, so she spent the rest of the evening anticipating the night.

Alex left around dinner time to get Kara’s prescription filled and grab whatever Kara wanted to eat, which, of course, was potstickers and pizza. She would have refused to go to two separate places any other day, but she relented knowing that Kara had spent the past four days eating hospital food.

Boredom kicked in the second her front door shut. Silence seemed to be accompanying Kara everywhere the past few days, and it wasn’t welcomed.

She retrieved her laptop and decided to try and get her article finished. For the first time, Kara was able to buckle down and make a significant amount of progress. She’d been nearly finished for a few days, but a certain doctor was really good at preventing her from getting done. It wasn’t until after she had sent the document to Snapper that Kara got a text, grabbing her phone to see what Alex needed.

Except, the name on her screen didn’t say Alex.  _Lena… oh my god—Lena!_ Kara’s laptop nearly fell to the ground as she stood up, fumbling around to get a hold of her computer before it hit the floor. Getting over her initial bout of excitement, Kara looked at her phone, heart racing, and she read,  _“Oh good, you texted! You're so very welcome, I enjoyed every single bit of it.”_

A smile pulled at Kara’s lips and her thumbs darted across the screen to type out,  _“I’d be dumb not to. You’re very sweet.”_ Kara hit send, pausing to ease her nerves before typing out another text,  _“I’m sorry the only encounter you’ve had with me is cleaning my nasty infected wound… do you want to go get coffee or something? There’s a coffee shop down the street from the hospital that I know is really good.”_

It took almost ten minutes for Lena to respond. Kara spent the entire time slouched over on her couch, leg bouncing incessantly in anticipation. She was glad she didn’t have that stupid heart monitor hooked up to her this time, or it would be beeping like crazy.  _“Are you talking about Coffee Bean Co.? That place is amazing, I’d love to go there.”_

Kara couldn’t shake her smile,  _“oh, you’ve been there! Great, well, when are you free?”_

 _“Tonight is my night off, so how about tomorrow morning at eight?”_ another text came through before Kara could even process the first,  _“although you don’t seem like a morning person. Are you sure you can drag yourself out of bed early enough?”_

Kara laughed at that,  _“For you, sure.”_

_“Great, then it’s a date. See you at eight.”_

She could see Lena sitting across from her in the bright light of the coffee shop behind her closed eyelids. A  _Date._  She was excited. Her heart beat faster than it ever had, and Kara had to take a few calming breaths. She didn’t want to end up in the ER from a heart attack… although if it meant she’d get to see Lena, then…  _no, Kara._

Kara spent the rest of her day humming to herself while she brainstormed some new ideas for an article. Snapper emailed her back about the one she turned in with a simple  _“good. But fix these…”_ And Kara groaned over her new, expanded workload.

Her sour mood was dampened by Alex bringing back potstickers and pizza, as promised, and they ate together in the living room. Her and Kara broke out into a fit of giggles over Kara’s conversation with Lena, both buzzing with excitement for this date.

Besides Kara’s growing pain from a lack of pain medication, she was in an immensely good mood. She had a date in the morning. A date with Lena Luthor. Lena Luthor, who wore red lipstick and skin-tight dresses, and— _oh my gosh, I don’t know what to wear._ Panic overrode every single positive emotion in Kara’s system, and she turned to Alex, eyes full of desperation,  _“Alex._ You have to pick my outfit. Help.”

Alex dropped her chopsticks in her container of noodles and rubbed her hands together, “I got this.” She stood up from the floor and dragged Kara with her to her bedroom, rummaging through her rack of clothes and then through her dresser before finding a pair of Kara’s light gray skinny slacks, a navy blue t-shirt with a breast pocket that had a light gray raccoon peeking out of it, “Boom.”

Kara laughed, going through the bottom drawer of her dresser to find a matching belt, then grabbing some earrings and tan shoes to match the belt. “Yeah, alright. This works, thanks, Alex.” Alex fist bumped her, and Kara let out a laugh as she went back to the living room to finish her food. She felt significantly better knowing Lena’s glance at Kara outside of the hospital would be her in normal clothes.

Alex decided to part with her sister once all of the food was put away. She pointed out the box of bandages to Kara and reminded her to change her wound, “Have fun on your date, kiddo. Don’t get pregnant.”

“Alex,  _seriously._ ” Kara gave her an exasperated sigh before standing up to hug her sister, “I love you.”

“Love you more.” Kara rolled her eyes, and Alex left.

Kara spent the next few hours working on her articles, her phone buzzing in the middle of one. She finished her thought before looking down at her phone and seeing Lena’s name flash on her screen.

_“Good morning (to me) Is your bee sting getting any better? Have you changed your bandage yet?”_

Kara chuckled quietly to herself, typing out  _“yes, mom. I’m changing it now”_  and she got up to find the bag of bandaging and her ointment cream Alex got from the pharmacy, undoing her bandage and cleaning the sting, applying the ointment. She tried to put the bandaging on but failed miserably when the tape got all scrunched up and she couldn’t undo it. She grumbled and threw the ruined bandage away, then tried again but didn’t succeed with that one either. She grabbed a third bandage, and it was going well up until her finger got stuck on the tape and she pulled her hand the wrong way and the tape folded on itself again.

She groaned and reached into the box for another bandage, but there were none. “ _Crap_.” She rummaged around her drawers, trying to find big band-aids, but she only had tiny ones.

She grabbed her phone and texted Alex,  _“did you buy more than that one box of big bandages?”_ She tried looking in the box once more to make sure she didn’t just miss one, but it was fruitless.

Alex responded a few minutes later,  _“Nope. I have a few boxes here already so I’m just gonna bring them over tomorrow night.”_

Kara grimaced and looked down at her side, the lump still completely exposed.

A text from Lena appeared,  _“good. Make sure you don’t leave it uncovered, otherwise the infection can get worse. I don’t want to see you in my hospital again anytime soon.” Great,_ Kara sighed.

 _“About that…”_ Kara began,  _“I don’t have any bandages… can I just use a paper towel and like, saran wrap?”_

_“Are you joking?”_

_“No? I’m not a doctor, I have no idea how to put these things on! I don’t have any left”_

_“Kara, it’s a sticker. Just put it on like a sticker.”_ Kara flushed red in embarrassment. Everyone made putting the bandage on look so easy… Kara didn’t know why she couldn’t figure it out.,  _“You don’t have any more?”_

_“No...”_

_“Well, I have tons. You can have them.”_

_“What? No, it’s okay! Alex is bringing me some tomorrow.”_

She’d just have to go to the pharmacy and buy some more. Kara was putting her shoes on when her phone started buzzing, Lena’s name flashing across the screen. She startled slightly from the sudden noise, reluctantly answering, “Uh… hello?”

 _“Kara Danvers, do not take that infection out into the open air of National City, stay right there.”_ Kara could hear a car door shut,  _“what’s your address?”_

She froze from the sudden inquiry of her address. “Lena—what?” what did she plan on doing, coming over?

 _“Is it okay if I come dress your wound? I have a stack of bandages here, and I definitely know how to put them on… but if you’d rather me not, then…” oh,_ Kara didn’t expect that to actually be  _it._

“No, no… I mean yes! Yes—you can,” Kara gave her her address and they hung up. Kara sat back on her sofa and shook her head. Lena Luthor was coming over to her apartment.  _Lena Luthor is coming over—oh gosh, I have to clean._ Kara shot out of her seat and ran around her apartment, throwing away her trash from earlier and throwing her dishes in the dishwasher. She closed her bedroom door and sat back down on her couch, breathing in as deep as her lungs would allow. She didn’t get to sit very long before a knock sounded on her door and she was up in a split second and at her door, pausing for a few seconds before opening it.

“Hey,” Lena said, standing in Kara’s door wearing jeans and a simple T-shirt, much to Kara’s surprise.

Kara stared at her for a moment to take in the sight of the woman standing in her doorway, and she suddenly remembered her manners, “hi, come in.”

Lena brushed past her, drawing a blush from the blonde, and set a bag on Kara’s bar, already pulling the bandages out. “Here, take this.” She handed Kara the bandage and pulled out gauze, putting some alcohol on it and looking between Kara and the kitchen island, “oh, uh… would you mind?”

Kara looked at the bar, realizing Lena didn’t have the luxury of being able to raise a bed enough so she didn’t have to bend over, “oh, sure.” She hopped up onto the counter and pulled her shirt up, exposing her wound.

Lena cleaned it, then prodded it a bit, drawing a sharp wince from Kara’s lips. “Sorry.” She slathered some cream on it and then looked at Kara, “okay, put the bandage on.”

“What?” Kara was dumbfounded.

“Put it on. I’m not going to be here every time you need to put a new one on.” Lena smiled, then nodded for Kara to go ahead and put it on. Kara nearly messed up again, and Lena stopped her with a hand on hers, “Kara, it’s just like putting a sticker on a piece of paper. Just  _press_ it, then rub the edges where the tape is.” Kara nodded and did just that, putting it on correctly. “See! Great job. I think you’re the real doctor here.”

Kara laughed, ducking her head. She met Lena’s eyes, smiling when she was significantly taller than her for once. “Thank you. You really didn’t have to drive all the way over here at this time of night just to do this.”

Lena smiled up at her, “what kind of doctor would I be if I didn’t help someone in need?” She winked at Kara, not moving.

Kara was suddenly aware of how close they were. Lena was pushed up against the edge of the counter, and Kara’s knee was touching Lena’s arm. She met Lena’s eyes, and they were somehow still just as vibrant as they were at the hospital, even in the dim light of her apartment.

Lena stared at her with unrelenting eyes, making no effort to move. After a moment, she looked down and cleared her throat. “I should go back home. I want you to be well rested for tomorrow.”

With a bashful smile, Kara agreed. It was nearing midnight, and Kara really was  _not_ a morning person. She saw Lena out, thanking her with her sincerest smile. Her heart hammered in her chest—in her ears—and Kara couldn’t hear anything except for Lena’s voice in her mind even as she laid down to go to bed. Those intoxicating red lips kept her awake longer than she wanted, but eventually, Kara fell asleep to the thought of her and Lena sitting together at the coffee shop.


	4. Chapter 4

Punctuality is one of the most important things in Kara’s life. That was made very apparent when she was Cat Grant’s assistant years ago, the idea that if you were early you were late implemented deep in her brain. So, you could imagine Kara’s horror when she woke up late.

She made a mental note to thank Alex for taking the time to pick out her outfit, because had she not Kara definitely would have been late to her date. Realization smacked her in the face as she struggled to slip her pants on, _I’m going on a date with Lena Luthor… this is actually happening._

With a little bit of speeding, Kara made it on time. A few minutes early, in fact. She took her time in her car, turning down the radio to focus on her thoughts. Lena was in there—she could see the faint outline of the woman through the windows. Kara couldn’t see any details, but she could tell Lena was beautiful. She knew Lena most likely looked ready to tackle an entire day in the classier parts of the city, even though Kara knew she was going to go to bed after their date. She hoped Lena’s sleep wouldn’t be affected by her drinking coffee.

Kara interrupted her thoughts with a deep breath. She needed to stop thinking or she’d really be late.

Nervousness settled into her bones and her hands trembled slightly as she reached out for the handle to the coffee shop doors.  She focused on keeping herself calm—on the outside, at least. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and her mind wouldn’t stop racing. It only got worse when she saw Lena— _really_ saw Lena. She looked the same as she did in the hospital, save for dark undereye circles and frizzy hair from long nights. Lena looked… refreshed. And, just—just “beautiful,” Kara murmured, her cheeks reddening almost immediately when she realized she said that out loud.

Green eyes floated up to meet blue, happiness radiating from the woman as she stood up with a bright smile, greeting Kara with a short hug, “oh, good, you managed to get up.”

Kara scoffed indignantly, “why wouldn’t I?”

“I don’t know. Maybe you’d decide you didn’t want to come,” Lena shrugged, quick to make it seem like someone ditching her was normal.

Kara hoped it wasn’t. How could it be? “I would never. If anything, I’m surprised _you_ are choosing to be here with _me.”_

It was Lena’s turn to scoff at the words, “I’d be a fool not to seize the opportunity to, you know…” she gestured vaguely towards Kara, drawing a blush from the woman. They sat in silence for a moment before the harsh sound of steaming milk reminded them they were in a coffee shop. “Coffee?”

Kara blinked at the woman a few times, glancing behind the bar where the sound was coming from, “oh, sure. I guess we should go order.”

A decent sized line queued up, and Kara followed Lena to the end of it, face heating up when their fingertips brushed against each other. If Lena had noticed, she didn’t show it. She watched Lena ponder the menu from their spot in line, remembering suddenly that she had to decide what she wanted as well. Nothing jumped out to her, though.

“What do you normally get?”

Kara shrugged, “a caramel macchiato… but I always get that. I want to try something new.”

“I’ll surprise you,” a single eyebrow quirked up playfully when Lena looked over at Kara.

It _did_ save her the trouble of having to stare blankly at the menu… “sure. I’ll give you money for the drink.”

“Oh, no, you don’t have to. What if you hate it?” She didn’t allow Kara to argue back, “I’ll pay for the drinks this time… and you can get the drinks next time.”

 _Next time…_ “you’ve got yourself a deal, doctor.” The thought of her going on _another_ date with Lena was only slightly overwhelming.

Lena pushed Kara in the direction of their table and insisted she go sit while she ordered. What Lena brought back was a blended drink with an overwhelming amount of whipped cream drizzled in caramel sauce. “You’re not lactose intolerant, are you? I didn’t see anything about it in your charts.”

Kara laughed and took the drink, “I am not. What is this?”

“It’s a frozen caramel macchiato. I had them put an extra espresso shot in there because I know you went to bed late last night.” Lena took a drink of her own, smiling when Kara visibly blushed from her spot across from her.

Kara had never thought to try the blended version of her normal drink—she didn’t even know she could get it frozen—so when she tried it and it tasted absolutely amazing, she hummed in delight at the burst of sweetness covered up by the strong taste of espresso. Lena asked if she liked it, and Kara nodded profusely. She sipped the new yet familiar tasting drink slowly, watching Lena watch her, the blush on her cheeks deepening, but still, Kara didn’t shy away from Lena’s gaze. Her green eyes were addicting.

“So,” Lena began after a long moment of comfortable silence, “are you catching up on your work easily enough?”

Kara nodded, “I finished my article a bit early, actually. I would have finished it a little earlier, but I’ve been a little distracted.”

Lena chuckled softly, sitting back in her chair. Her eyes dragged up to Kara’s ocean blues, “was it at least a welcomed distraction?”

Kara hummed in thought, pretending to consider the question before saying, “I think so.”

“I’m glad.”

They took turns telling stories in between brief stories about themselves. Kara spoke all about her work as a reporter—about how much she loved being able to finally write strong stories on social issues. Though she didn’t realize it at first, reporting was one of Kara’s passions. It was all too easy for her to talk animatedly about her job—something Lena found out very fast.

“It’s really nice to see you like this.” Lena’s dark lips quirked up into a smirk as she sipped her lukewarm coffee.

“Like what?”

“Like a normal person. Well—not _normal,_ but like a person that I don’t need to take care of.” Lena stumbled around her words slightly, pausing to gather her thoughts in an orderly fashion before backpedaling, “I see people in their most vulnerable state… it’s just nice to see someone like you—someone who is strong and,” she motioned towards Kara with a stern look of enthusiasm, _“unafraid.”_

Kara’s heart fluttered in her chest, nonsensical words tumbling out of her mouth before her brain could catch up. “What, I’m not—I’m afraid of a lot of things,” she finally managed.

Lena seemed unconvinced. “Like what?”

“This.” She didn’t mean to say that. But, if Kara was being honest, she was afraid of Lena. She was afraid of all the possibilities stacking up with every passing second. Kara was afraid that she would like Lena, and Lena would realize that Kara’s too much of a mess and she’d decide that a third date wasn’t what she wanted. She was afraid that she and Lena _would_ like each other and never be able to do anything because of their hectic schedules. Any scenario she came up with led to loneliness, and loneliness is what scared Kara the most.

Lena fell silent for a moment, eyes trained on the dark liquid in her cup. Her eyes were soft—softer than Kara had ever seen them as she looked at her, a quiet “me too” escaping dark lips.

The thought of Lena fearing Kara was almost comical. Maybe Lena was struggling just like Kara. Maybe she was scared of things not working out.

They both found themselves smiling warmly at each other, and Kara changed the subject. “So, why a doctor?”

Lena couldn’t help the smile that tugged at her lips when she looked at the blonde, “well, I’m afraid it’s not a fun and dramatic story.” She sipped at her lukewarm coffee, frowning slightly.

Kara shrugged and sat back in her chair, “shoot.”

Lena sighed, “my parents forced me to go to med school. Well, mostly my step-mother… she guilt tripped me into doing it. When I was little I told her I wanted to be a historian... she told me my real mother would never be proud of me, and that I would make her and everyone else proud if I became a doctor.” Lena’s eyebrow twitched slightly at the memory, “so here I am.”

Kara sat back in her chair, blowing air out of her cheeks, “wow, your family sounds…”

“Controlling? Manipulative? Sure. But I _have_ gained a lot from being a doctor.” Lena picked up her coffee cup, making no effort to actually drink the remaining liquid. Kara beckoned for her to continue, and Lena smiled softly, “I get to help a lot of people. I have two specialties; I’m an immunologist and, just for fun, a cardiac electrophysiologist.”

Kara had a dumbfounded look on her face, “okay, a cardiac _what?”_

Lena let out a laugh, her legs crossing at the knees, “a cardiac electrophysiologist. So, I specialize in the electricity in the heart. I can tell how to treat heart arrhythmias.” Kara’s expression was still a little blank, so Lena chuckled and figured she had to make it a tad bit simpler. “Okay, your heart has electricity flowing through it, and if it doesn’t flow right, your heart won't contract right, and that causes a little… a tremor. I study that little pattern that shows up on the heart monitor and I say how to fix it.”

“Oh, okay. I get it.” Kara was following along, “wait so, you can tell when someone’s heart like… flutters?”

“Yes.” Lena gave Kara that familiar smirk, the one that lets her know that she knows exactly what’s going through Kara’s mind, and it makes her heart beat a little faster. Lena definitely knew the impact she had on Kara while at the hospital.

They talked a little bit more about Lena’s specialties, Kara learning more about her heart in a few minutes than she did from six months of a biology class. “Wait, okay, so what about your first specialty?”

“Oh, the immunology? I know about diseases in the immune system, and an allergy to bee stings just so happens to be one of those, so you could imagine my delight when they told me a gorgeous blonde woman was coming up to my floor from the ICU because of a bee sting.” Lena giggled at Kara’s cheeks flushing red in embarrassment. “I thought you were dumb when I read over your chart. I couldn’t believe someone as old as you was careless enough to get stung by a little _bee._ But then I saw you and then I was glad you did because you made my nights a little less dreadful.”

Kara blushed even more, the tips of her ears on fire as she sat there, intent on watching the beads of water drip down the cold plastic of her blended drink in favor of looking up at Lena’s dangerous green eyes. “well, I’m glad you were my doctor.” She mumbled.

“Yes, well, if I wasn’t you would still be there with a grossly infected sting wound from how little you wanted to move for those poor nurses.”

“Hey, I was tired and they kept trying to wake me up.” Kara crossed her arms in defiance, looking up to meet green eyes.

“Yes, out of necessity. You’re just a baby.”

They broke out into a fit of giggles. It was amazing how comfortable they both felt with each other, and Kara and Lena both found themselves smiling at each other, looking away with pink cheeks and chuckling softly at how juvenile it was.

They talked about various other things for what seemed like hours. It wasn’t until Kara was talking about her high school art competition that Lena found herself stifling a yawn, and Kara realized that Lena’s schedule was the opposite of hers. Surely, she needed to go to bed. “I’m keeping you too long, you should get home and go to sleep.”

“No, no,” Lena straightened up in her chair, her eyes staring intently into Kara’s ocean blues, “I want to hear more about you—come on. You were just talking about that—” she mindlessly waved her hand in Kara’s direction as she tried to recall what Kara was just talking about, “that award you got in high school! For the…”

“The painting I did of the ocean.” Kara laughed, gathering all of their used dishes on the table and stacking them neatly, “Lena, come on. You’re tired! You can hardly keep your eyes open.”

Lena hummed, “mmh, you’re right.” She let out a sigh when Kara stood up, and she followed in suit, helping her take the stack of plates and cups to the bar, then gathered her things.

They stood together outside and talked for a few more minutes, a laugh escaping Kara's lips when Lena had to stifle another yawn, “okay, I think it’s time I let you go.”

“Maybe I should switch to day shifts… then I’d get to see you more.” Lena grumbled, stepping to Kara to hug her goodbye, “I had fun, though. Thank you for getting stung by a bee.”

Kara scoffed, but smiled nonetheless, “I’m glad I did. Well… glad it led to meeting you—not the sting itself… or the swelling and, you know, not being able to breathe—”

“Kara. I’m going to go now.” Lena was definitely feeling the exhaustion settle in and she needed to be awake enough to drive.

They finally parted ways. Even when Lena was lying in bed, eyes growing heavy with sleep, she was figuring out how to see Kara again. Surely Kara wanted to see her. Surely Kara felt that warm feeling in the center of her chest when she saw Lena because as soon as Kara walked into the door of the coffee shop, Lena forgot about _everything_ —everything except for how gorgeous Kara’s eyes were. God, they were _beautiful._

 _“See me again soon?”_ Lena fell asleep before she could see Kara’s response, which came just a few minutes later.

_“Of course!! Tell me when, doctor.”_


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise!  
> I was busy finishing a semester of college

Lena headed down the long stretch of business offices, stark white lab coat draped over her forearm. She had the next couple days off, and the last thing she had to do before she had a small break was to drop off a couple of reports to her best friend... who was also her medical director, though that never interfered with their friendship, Still, Lena stood outside Samantha's office, the doctor's heart pounding harder and harder with each passing second. She wasn’t scared of her medical director—but rather the questions that Sam would ask Lena. She still needed to tell her best friend she was _maybe_ back in the dating pool. “Sam?” She knocked and cracked the door open slightly, her best friend sitting behind her desk, scribbling on a few files here and there.

Deep brown eyes snapped up to Lena upon her entry, and Lena was met with a welcoming smile, “hey! I haven’t seen you in a while—all the other physicians come to see me more than once _a week,_ ” she hit Lena’s hand with her stack of papers as Lena sat down.

Lena chuckled quietly, “Sorry, I’ve been a little preoccupied.” She cringed when she realized she didn’t choose her words carefully.

“Oh, is Doctor Luthor _seeing_ someone? Wow,” she laughed at the obvious blush on Lena’s face.

“This is exactly why I didn’t want to come see you.” She grumbled.

“Oh come on, you missed me.” They both smiled warmly, grateful to be in the presence of their best friend again after what felt like an eternity. “So, what do you got?”

Lena handed over the folders in her arms, pointing to each one, “patient reports… oh, and a list of equipment we’d like you to see about getting us, and an incident report from this morning.” Lena pushed all the folders towards Sam and sat back in her chair.

Sam took all of the files, but didn’t look over them; just pushed them to the side and placed both over top her desk, offering Lena a pleasant smile, “so… what’s been keeping you _preoccupied,_ miss ‘I’m-married-to-my-work’… or should I ask who?”

“She’s not—” Lena groaned in frustration, Sam’s delighted smile not helping her in the slightest. “Okay. Alright, I’ve been talking to a woman—but just for a couple weeks.”

“Oh, so it’s fresh.”

“I don’t even know what _it_ is. I haven’t gone on a date in—what, four _years?_ I don’t even know I’ve made it as far as I have. Doctors lose all of their social skills halfway through med school, Sam. What if she—”

“Woah, woah, Lena… hey. If she didn’t like you I don’t think she’d be talking to you. Stop overthinking you softie. When’s your next date?”

Lena relaxed slightly. “Saturday.” It was a day she’d been counting down to since the previous weekend when she and Kara planned this date. “I’m going to try to change my sleeping schedule so I can stay up longer, but we’re just going to brunch and then to see a movie.”

Sam smiled proudly, “It’s good to see you making an effort again,” she sat forward slightly and eyed Lena for a moment, reeling in every ounce of Lena’s attention, “you know… I have a day shift spot open, Lena. This—dating—would be easier if you, you know, switched over.”

It’d be a lie if Lena said she didn’t consider it, even for a second, but she did. The problem was that she didn’t know if she was considering it because she wanted to, or because she wanted to see Kara more. “I’ll consider it.”

Sam nodded, motioning for Lena to stand up to hug her, knowing Lena needed to get home soon. “Get some sleep, Lena. And Ruby is expecting you to come bowling with us for her birthday.”

“I wouldn’t dream of missing it,” she squeezed Sam tight and left moments later, going to bed later that night so she could go to bed the next night at a slightly normal time. She read Kara’s string of texts, smiling at one good morning text in particular before reading the rest of them.

They exchanged messages up until the evening, and when it was nearing four in the evening a text from Kara that said, _“I know you’re trying to stay awake for me, but I think now is a good time to go to bed.”_ And Lena didn’t argue.

Even after the last goodbye text, Lena found herself staring at the bright screen of her phone that displayed their conversation, and she couldn’t look away. She fell asleep in the middle of reading _“Going about the rest of my day without talking to you is going to be boring, but knowing you’re getting a good amount of sleep will make it worth it. Goodnight, doctor,”_ for the hundredth time.

 

* * *

 

 

When Saturday finally rolled around, Kara took Lena to what she described as “the absolute best café on the entire _planet_.” It was right by the coast, the smell of salt water thick in the air, even when they went into the café.

They waited to be sat, and when the hostess acknowledged them, Kara’s heart fluttered when Lena placed a hand in the small of her back, words that Kara didn’t quite catch tumbling from the Luthor’s lips. The hand never left Kara’s back, even as the hostess showed them to a small table right beside the window. The loss of contact when they sat down forced Kara to shiver.

Lena thanked the hostess as she left, turning to Kara. They sat in silence for a moment, and a smile forced its way onto Lena’s lips, enticing Kara’s to do the same. “You’re nervous,” Lena grinned.

Kara scoffed, picking up her menu and fumbling with its pages, “I am _not_ nervous. I mean, no, nothing to be nervous about here, I’m—okay, yeah. Just a little bit.” Her cheeks burned an obvious shade of red, skin lighting up even brighter when Lena’s hand came across the tabletop to rest on top of hers.

“I am too, Kara. It’s okay, I mean, we’re kind of in this together.”

Kara laughed and felt herself relax slightly. She looked down at the hand covering hers, and Lena seemed to remember the placement of her own hand because she let go, apologizing quietly. She saw the faintest hint of a blush on Lena’s face, and Kara knew that she wasn’t the only one there to be a little… rusty.

They fell into a comfortable conversation, ordering in between conversations. When their food came out, Kara watched Lena intently as the woman took the first bite of her lettuce wrap.

Lena’s eyes shot open and she hummed in delight, “this is—” she swallowed, “this is _phenomenal._ How did you find this place? This is really good. Like, _really_ good, Kara. Oh my gosh.” Lena took another bite, sinful noises escaping her throat.

“My sister brought me here a few months ago. I thought you’d like it.” She took a good bite of her club sandwich and frowned, setting it down and separating the bread from the meat, “dang it—I forgot to ask for romaine instead of _kale.”_

Lena scoffed indignantly at Kara, “you don’t like kale?”

Kara looked up and squirmed under Lena’s scrutinizing glare, “no?”

“Kara—oh my gosh what did I get myself into?” Lena feigned a look of despair as she sat back in her chair, gesturing exaggeratedly to Kara, “you hate kale! This can’t work—I’m so sorry.”

Kara broke out into a fit of giggles, Lena following suit at the ridiculousness of the situation, “It just has a weird aftertaste, okay?” she picked the offensive greens off her sandwich and took a big bite, humming delightedly at how much better it tasted.

“Fair enough.” Lena smiled as she watched Kara, stealing a piece of kale from her plate, frowning as she swallowed, “okay, no. This kale is a big no—absolutely not. No wonder you _think_ you hate kale, this is terrible! You have to let me make you a salad or something with _good_ kale.”

Kara squinted slightly at Lena, “Kale is kale. It’s going to taste the same.”

“No, trust me. I’m a doctor.” They laughed, and Kara relented, agreeing to let Lena make her whatever she wanted that included kale, and Kara promised to give it a chance before judging it.

They finished their brunch, and Kara was extremely satisfied with a good deal of information she learned about Lena—like the fact that Lena planned on starting her own company, and she planned on going to school part time to get a master’s in history (Lena’s already written quite a few dissertations pertaining to history, so a Ph.D. wasn’t out of the question), and that Lena Luthor herself absolutely _loved_ romcoms.

Kara had no idea why she was so surprised to learn this fact, but she was. She figured Lena was the type to enjoy documentaries or even science fiction movies, but _romcoms?_

“They’re just really easy to watch! You know the ending, you know they’re going to end up together, so why not sit back and enjoy seeing the journey it took to get there?” Kara and Lena were walking towards the theater, enjoying the afternoon breeze the ocean provided. It was warm summer days like this one that reminded everyone in National City they were located right by the ocean.

Kara agreed, and they fell into a steady conversation about iconic romcoms, almost forgetting where they were going until the sound of Lena’s phone interrupted their conversation. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, grimacing deeply at the screen, “I’m sorry, it’s the hospital. I have to take this.” Lena stepped away to talk to whoever was on the phone, and Kara’s heart tightened at the disappointed look in Lena’s face when she hung up. “I’m really sorry—they need me there. There’s an emergency, and—”

“Don’t worry about it.” Kara tried to sound forgiving. She understood how important Lena was. “I’ll walk back with you.”

Lena offered her an apologetic smile, walking back towards the parking lot they left their cars in. She apologized again before Kara brushed it off with a smile, pulling Lena into a short hug before Lena had to take off.

Kara would be lying if she said she wasn’t disappointed. Another day, maybe.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning after their date that had been cut short, Kara found herself unmotivated to get out of bed. Mornings like this weren't rare, but they weren't this bad, either. The thought of moving was nearly unbearable, but a familiar chime and a text on her screen from Lena saying,  _“Don’t bail on me now. I have to get you to appreciate kale, first”_ gave Kara all the energy and motivation she needed to get up and get things done. She definitely wouldn’t dream of bailing on Lena… or professing her love to kale.

She went through her day as usual, catching up on stories she’d procrastinated on for reasons that had everything to do with Lena. Kara even straightened up her apartment and hung up a few paintings that had been sitting in the corner of her apartment for weeks.

Once everything was done, she felt accomplished for all of one minute before boredom settled in. She didn’t really have anything else to do, and Kara didn’t have any errands she needed to go out and run, so she plopped down on her couch and began flipping through various TV shows. The only one that stood out to her was Grey’s Anatomy, and she jumped into the show without having seen a single episode before.

Less than halfway through the episode Kara could already tell there was going to be an obscene amount of romance and drama. She pulled out her phone and opened her conversation with Lena, _“is there a lot of relationship drama in hospitals?”_

She got through the entirety of the episode and decided she didn’t really need to watch it again. It was only a little after three and Lena probably wasn’t awake. Kara kept glancing at her phone throughout the rerun of the next show, not even paying enough attention to the TV to care about whatever it was. She groaned, plopping over on her couch before picking up her phone to call Alex.

Her sister picked up on the first ring, to Kara’s surprise, _“hey, what’s up?”_

Kara stared up at the ceiling, “nothing. Absolutely nothing. Can we do something? I’m dying of boredom,” she whined, hoping that her tone of voice made it clear that she was doing her signature pout that Alex had yet to say no to.

There was a sigh from the other side, _“Sunday is my day of rest, Kara.”_

“You’re not religious.” She knew Alex liked to do nothing on Sundays. They were usually the one day in her sister’s weekend where she could truly do nothing, but Kara was really, _really_ bored, and if that meant sabotaging Alex's free day then so be it. "Please?"

Alex let out a defeated sigh, _“but—you know what, fine. What do you wanna do?”_

Kara blanked for a moment. She didn’t actually have anything in mind. “Um… I dunno. I was hoping you’d tell me.”

_“Just—come over. And you better bring me food since you’re preventing me from doing nothing.”_

“Yes!” Kara jumped off her couch, not bothering to change out of her sweatpants and cotton t-shirt before throwing on some sandals, “I’ll be there soon, bye.”

They hung up and Kara was all too excited to get out of her apartment, trotting down the street to her and Alex’s favorite Chinese restaurant to get an order in. The fresh air and bright sun fueled her energy. She'd run if she wasn't wearing sandals.

Her mind wandered to Lena every so often, and she fruitlessly checked her phone in between telling herself that there definitely wouldn’t be a text this early in the day. Surely enough, there wasn’t. Not when she checked her phone while waiting for her Uber with an armful of Chinese food, not when she was sitting in the back of the Uber, not when she was walking down the hallway to Alex’s door, and not even when she was sitting with Alex on her sister's couch.

“What’s so interesting about that thing? Are you waiting for a certain doctor to text you back?” Alex teased, grinning when Kara grimaced at her, cheeks pinkening instantly. “You never did tell me about your date yesterday.”

Kara nervously fiddled with her glasses, heartbeat picking up at the memory of Lena sitting across from her, her dark hair flowing perfectly over her shoulders in neat waves. And that blue blouse she was wearing? It made her eyes even more vibrant and—

“Stop swooning.” Alex took a bite of her Chinese, waiting for her sister to explain the previous day's events.

Kara rolled her eyes and shrugged dismissively, “we went to brunch and she promised to make me like kale.”

Alex hummed, leaving a long air of silence between them before she decided to glance back towards Kara over the rim of her container, “so no sex?”

“Alex!” Kara grabbed the nearest couch pillow and hit Alex’s shoulder with it, her face red hot.

“What? It was just a question!” she dodged Kara’s next swing, laughing in the process. “Alright! Alright, no more questions.” She and Kara settled down and ate their food, letting the background noise from the TV fill the silence.

Kara grabbed the remote and lazily flipped through the TV, switching to Netflix when nothing good was on. She and Alex agreed on watching Grease, both belting out the words to each song in unison. It provided a great distraction for Kara, but she still found herself checking her phone every so often.

They watched more classics, both knowing the words to every single song. It wasn’t until they were in the middle of singing the words to Footloose and jumping around in the middle of Alex’s living room that Kara heard her ringtone and nearly tripped over her own feet to get to her phone.

“Wow, excited much?” Alex smirked knowingly at Kara, ignoring her piercing glare.

Kara couldn’t help the smile on her face when she saw Lena’s name on her phone, followed by _“not particularly, no. Why do you ask?”_

She confessed to watching Grey’s Anatomy, and she could almost _hear_ Lena’s disappointment in her next text. _“Oh, no. You can’t base what happens in hospitals off medical dramas. None of that stuff is realistic. I promise. Trust me, if I had interns and nurses all over me like they are in those shows, I wouldn’t be talking to you.”_ Kara’s heart clenched at the words, and she was almost ready to ask Lena what Lena meant by her last sentence before a string of texts appeared on her phone, _“wait that sounds bad. I didn’t mean it like that. I’d probably still talk to you.”_ Kara giggled, glaring at Alex when her sister feigned disgust. _“I’d definitely still talk to you.”_ And at that, Kara blushed— _really_ blushed.

“You’re swooning.” Alex flinched away from Kara when the blonde picked up a pillow and went to hit her with it, “I’m going to throw every single pillow away.”

Kara threw the pillow to the side and typed out a response to Lena, letting her know how flattered she was, and asked about her night. She turned back to Alex, who was watching her expectantly, and huffed out a shrug, “okay, I might be swooning a _little.”_

“Try _a lottle.”_

“You’re awful.” Regardless, she laughed, tossing her phone to the side and turning in her spot to face her sister. “Okay… when you and Maggie first started dating… how did you get past the whole ‘being free when the other one isn’t’ thing?”

Alex thought for a moment, humming to herself, “huh… we always had at least one day where we both were free. Moving in together helped out a lot.” She frowned at Kara after a moment, “you’re not gonna go all u-haul lesbian on Lena and move in with her, are you?”

Kara shook her head, the crinkle that had become a staple in her negative facial expressions making an appearance, “what does that even—no. I’m not going to go all _‘u-haul lesbian’.”_

“Okay. Just checking.” Alex could see Kara struggling and sighed, shifting closer so she could wrap an arm around Kara and squeeze her tight, “look, you may just need to accept that your schedules don’t mix.” Kara’s look of sheer disappointment made Alex backpedal on her words, “okay, maybe not. Let’s see… you could see her before she goes to work—or maybe after she gets off.”

“She goes in right when I get off work and I go to work right when she gets off…” Kara sighed and sank into Alex’s side, taking off her glasses to rub tender circles into her temples, “when I text her I end up waiting hours for a response, and when I see her it’s just for a few hours before she needs to go to bed… and even on her free days she’s not really free because she might get called in—and, I don’t know.” She shrugged at Alex, who was smiling at Kara sympathetically, “I really like her, but I don’t know if this will work…”

Kara’s entire day was spent in anticipation as she waited for Lena’s response. Sure, Lena had responded as soon as she could, but Kara knew that their conversation would only last until Lena had to go to work, and then she’d spend the following days until she saw Lena again waiting. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to spend her days just… waiting.

Lena’s next text came, and Alex grabbed Kara’s phone for her, handing it over to her sister, “just remember you’ve only known her for a few weeks. You’ve been on two dates, and you don’t really know her that well yet.” Kara knew Alex was right, but that didn’t stop Kara from wanting things to just _work out_ immediately. “You have to work with each other if you want things to, you know, progress.”

She knew that. Deep down she knew full well how hard she would have to work, but the possibility of working for nothing scared her. Kara looked down at her phone and read Lena’s text, heart soaring when she read, _“If I’m being honest, my night was a little rough. I had to sleep in the on-call room because a critical care patient came in yesterday. That’s why I had to run off, which, I still feel bad about leaving you. I’ll make it up to you.”_

Kara felt for Lena in that moment, admiring the woman for her dedication to her job despite it not being her first career choice. Her compassion was genuine, and Kara liked her that much more for it. _“You don’t have to apologize for any of that. You’re out there saving lives! I could never be mad at you for that. I’m still anticipating a movie, though.”_

_“And I’m still anticipating your confession of love for kale. I’d love to have you over. Maybe we can knock two birds out with one stone?”_

Kara practically choked on air. When Alex questioned her, a startled look on her face, Kara just shoved her phone into Alex’s hands.

Alex raised her eyebrows at the text, “huh.” She handed Kara back her phone, and Kara could see the relentless teasing before it came. “Wanna get bikini waxes together?”

Kara leaped off the couch and reached for the nearest pillow, launching it at Alex’s head with a grunt.

“Okay, _fine!”_ she threw the pillow to the side and laughed, “but seriously, I haven’t seen you act like this since you had a crush on that boy sophomore year… what was his name?”

“Tom?”

“Yes! Tom. You were _so_ head over heels for him.” Alex stood up, gathering her and Kara’s leftover containers of Chinese and she closed them all, handing Kara a few of them when her sister offered help, “you were in love with him but any time he showed any interest in you, you passed it off as him being _“friendly”._ And then finally he tells you he likes you and you freak out and stop talking to him.” Kara was a wonderful reporter who was fearless when it came to drilling people for information, but when it came to confronting people she was even remotely interested in romantically, Alex knew Kara would chicken out. She knew Kara would assume it wouldn’t work and she’d just _“save herself from the hassle of heartbreak”_ and end things before they even started.

Kara made to speak, but Alex shushed her with a single finger, indicating she wasn’t done talking. “Do you like Lena?”

Kara didn’t have to think before she nodded.

“Do you want to see her again?”

Nod.

“Then you have to put in the effort to see her. Find time and go to her house, watch a movie, cuddle until you both fall asleep, and be happy. The worst that can happen is it doesn’t work out, but even then, you may gain a really good friend from it all.”

_Friend_ didn’t feel right when it came to the doctor. The possibility of it not working terrified Kara. And maybe she was looking too far into things, but she figured that was because she wanted so badly for things to work out. She really did like Lena. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yes.” She inhaled deeply, making up her mind. “I’m gonna go for it. I’ll try, at least.”

Alex pulled her into a tight hug, patting her sisters back before leaning back to look at her with a proud stare, “good. Now, I love you, but I’m tired.”

Kara laughed and gathered her things, thanking Alex with another hug before leaving to go back to her apartment.

She texted Lena when she got home, and they tried to find another day where they were both free. Unfortunately for them both, Lena was scheduled on the weekends for the next month, and Kara worked during the week. The next day that was guaranteed to work was in over three weeks, and Kara groaned into her pillow. Still, they made the plans for that night, expressing how much they wished it was sooner.

The previous weeks had just been lucky for the both of them, Kara guessed. So long as Lena was willing, Kara planned on trying her best to make something out of what they had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think Kara is gonna have some major Lena withdrawals


	7. Chapter 7

Kara's week proved to be grueling, but her mornings were always made better by Lena’s good morning texts, and Kara would smile and text her back telling her to sleep well. They texted each other about their days when one woke up and the other just about to settle into bed. It was a routine that Kara fell into all too easily, and it excited her, yet instilled a sense of sheer terror at the same time. She didn’t know if she wanted to get too comfortable just in case it didn’t work out.

The first week went by fast, and Kara chuckled to herself when she realized her heart and mind both counted the days before she’d see Lena. Her back tightened in pain from being sat at her dining room table too long, fingers typing away on her computer when an incoming call from Lena ripped her attention away from her work. She answered it immediately and said hello.

_“Have I ever told you that you have a beautiful voice? Because you do.”_

Kara laughed, her work already forgotten as she stood up to move to the kitchen, “good morning to you, too. How was work?” She poured herself a glass of water as she waited for Lena’s response, which didn’t come but a second later.

 _“It was hectic. You know, hospitals typically slow down in the summer, but I guess that doesn’t apply to National City Hospital. I’m exhausted…”_ a long air of silence followed, and Kara could hear the quiet breath Lena took before continuing, _“how has your Sunday morning been?”_

Kara sipped her water, “um.” she thought about her morning and there wasn’t much of anything to think about, really. Not yet, at least. “It’s been wonderful.”

_“Oh? How so?”_

Kara bit her lip, taking a moment to gain the courage to say, “I’m talking to you.”

Lena’s low chuckle caused Kara’s cheeks to warm, and she hoped that she didn’t sound weird. That may have been weird. Definitely weird. _“I didn’t peg you for the smooth-talker type.”_

Kara’s confidence came back in full swing, “maybe you read me wrong. I am _quite_ a smooth talker. Smooth as butter.” _Yeah, you lost it there, Kara,_ she winced slightly.

 _“Are you? I’ll keep that in mind.”_ She audibly yawned, and Kara knew they should hang up so Lena could sleep. She didn’t want to. They both really didn’t want to. But Lena had to be back at work that night, and Kara had deadlines to meet, so they hung up; but not without a quiet promise to talk again soon.

Every ended conversation with Lena left a hollow feeling in Kara's chest, and she wondered if Lena felt the same. Just two more weeks. Thirteen days, to be exact. Kara had to remind herself that at least it wasn’t months she’d have to wait. At least they could text each other, if nothing else.

 

* * *

 

 

Kara's dedication to her work was apparent in the way she was always on time. She never missed a deadline, and she put every single ounce of effort she could into every single one of her articles, puff piece or not. She’d done a well enough job the past few years to earn the privilege of picking her own topics to write about. Once she’d turned in her article on Monday, she had another week before her next. That meant she had a day to figure out her next topic to write about.

Very rarely did she have absolutely nothing, but this time was one of those rare times.

Kara had no idea what she wanted to write about. She had ideas, sure, but none of them sounded particularly appealing at that moment.

After what felt like hours of sitting in her office on a Wednesday afternoon, having spent her day up until that point exactly as she spent the previous day, she’d finally had enough.

She stood up and stalked out of her office, trying to find inspiration from literally anywhere else other than bland white walls. After a few minutes of walking around the floor, she finally tracked down both James and Winn in the art department, the two men standing by James’ desk laughing over something on Winn’s phone.

“Kara, hey!” James looked away from Winn's phone to see Kara coming up to the pair, and he pushed himself away from his desk, Winn following suit. “You gotta see this.” He motioned for Winn to hand over his phone, and Kara took it.

“A golden retriever! Why does he look so guilty—oh!” the dog opened its mouth and a plethora of whole tater tots fell out, enticing a gross cackle to escape Kara’s lips. “I love it!”

Winn grinned and took his phone back, tucking it into the pocket of his cardigan. “So, what brings you to this part of CatCo?”

Kara remembered her lack of inspiration and she groaned. “I don’t know what to write about for my next article. I was hoping that a walk would help.”

The two men nodded at her, and James leaned back against his desk, “well unless you’re switching your specialty over to art or software, I don’t think we’ll be much help.”

She figured as much, but seeing her friends is still a better option than sitting in her office, burning a hole into her ceiling.

“Hey, how’s that bee sting, by the way?” Winn asked, and Kara realized she hadn’t seen them since they’d visited her in the hospital. Had she really been that busy?

She touched the fabric over the place where the bee had stung her, “it’s almost completely healed. My doctor was, um… she helped out a lot.”

James smiled with a shrug, “I’d hope so.”

Kara had to try and subdue any oncoming thoughts of Lena to prevent her from blushing. She nearly sighed in relief when Winn and James began bouncing ideas off each other to try and give Kara something to write about.

All of their suggestions were turning out to be passes, until Winn clapped his hands together and pointed excitedly at Kara’s side, “Ooh, maybe you could write about healthcare.” Winn offered.

Kara’s mind immediately went to Lena, heart beating a little faster at the thought of seeing her again, but she didn’t know how healthcare could relate to anything she normally wrote about. “I specialize in social issues, Winn.”

“I know, just hear me out.” He gazed intently at Kara, hands gesticulating widely as he explained further, “remember when all of the hospitals in National City went corporate?” Kara nodded, wondering what that had to do anything before Winn clapped his hands together, “corporate greed.”

Kara didn’t get it. She stared at Winn blankly for a moment, her confusion evident on her face.

James cleared his throat, drawing in Kara’s attention, “I think what Winn is trying to suggest is you doing your article on the possibility of corporations worrying more about bills getting paid than… patients livelihood?”

“Yes, that—exactly.” Winn raised his eyes in question at Kara.

It actually sounded like something she could do… but also like something she’d need more than a week to get done. “I don’t know, It sounds too big to get done in less than a week…”

“Why don’t you talk to the doctor that took care of you? Maybe they can help you out.”

Winn was right. She very well could ask Lena to be a source. But what if she didn’t want to? She didn’t want to ask too much of Lena.

Alex’s words echoed in her head, reminding her not to give up before she even started. “I’ll do it.” She decided. “Thanks, guys!”

“Sure. You and Alex need to come have a drink with us at Noonan’s, I need to drink with someone other than Winn for a change.”

“Hey!”

They laughed, and Kara agreed. She made a mental note to make time for her friends, setting off to her office to get started on her article. First, Kara had to build enough courage to text Lena. _“How do I make an appointment with a specific doctor at a hospital?”_

She knew Lena’s response wouldn’t come until that night, so she made outlined for the rest of her day, finding a few internet sources.

Lena responded shortly after Kara got home, _“you’d have to call scheduling at the hospital. Is it something with your bee sting? Is it hurting?”_

Lena’s worry endeared Kara enough to entice a faint blush to form on the apples of her cheek, and she found herself giggling as she typed, _“no, no… It’s just something for work. Thank you.”_

She called the hospital the next morning and made an appointment with Lena for the following morning, calling other hospitals and setting up various interviews to distract herself from her growing excitement. Kara managed to get a few interviews for that day, and she spent her afternoon driving from hospital to hospital. It wasn’t until the night time when she was seated at her dining room table with papers spread across the surface, trying to piece together the information she’d gathered that a text from Lena sent her heart catapulting into heaven.

_“See you at seven-thirty, Miss Danvers. Don’t be late.”_

_“I wouldn’t dream of it, Dr. Luthor.”_ Kara knew what a dream felt like, and this definitely felt like one.


	8. Chapter 8

Kara looked at her reflection in her visor before stepping out of her car. She wasn’t too keen on waking up at six-thirty in the morning to prepare for her appointment with Lena, but Kara knew Lena's charming smile and vibrant eyes would make it all worth it. She had spent the better part of an hour figuring out her outfit, and she opted for a powder blue dress paired with a white cardigan. She couldn’t decide between wearing her hair up or down, so she had it half up, half down. She felt confident enough.

It wasn’t until she stood before Lena, fawning over the woman’s silky black tresses and her emerald eyes that she began doubting the addition of the sweater. Kara felt a heat creep up her neck when Lena smiled at her, and she did her best to tame her excitement before she joined Lena's side, greeting her with a hug that only made things worse for her elevated body temp. She hoped Lena’s office provided enough air conditioning to cool her off.

Her blush raged on as she walked beside Lena down a maze of long hallways, eyes wandering over Lena’s tall figure, a single button of her white lab coat buttoned to hug against her curves. She was beautiful. Kara had noticed before, but wow, she was really, _really_ beautiful.

She met Lena’s gaze, and they both found themselves smiling dumbly at the other. Lena cleared her throat, pointing towards a door, “here’s my office.”

They stepped in, Kara's eyes immediately falling on the wall behind Lena's desk, dozens of pictures pasted neatly across the wall. Lena posed in many of them with small children, the sight of Lena beaming while a pair of children wrapped themselves around her ankles warmed Kara’s heart.

“Those are from a few travel jobs I took a few years ago. Those are from Chad... that's Mozambique, and - oh! This little guy was one of many that came from an underfunded orphanage.” She joined Kara’s side and looked at the pictures, pointing to each picture and explaining the story behind each. “Before that trip, I hated my job. I hated being a doctor. But seeing those kids—seeing all the effort I put in get put to good use made me want to keep on with it. I’ve been meaning to get another specialty in pediatrics, but I haven’t found the time.”

Kara gazed up at her, wondering how on earth she managed to earn the privilege to be a part of this woman’s life.

Lena looked over at Kara, smiling warmly, and she cleared her throat. “Sorry, why don’t we sit?” She motioned for Kara to take a seat, and she sat in the chair beside her, unwrapping the stethoscope from around her neck and placing it on her desk. “What brings you into my office? Did you miss me that much?”

Kara chuckled, shaking her head. “No—well, that’s a small part of it. Actually… I’m writing an article on corporations overtaking the healthcare system and I was hoping for a doctor's unbiased insight.”

Lena smiled proudly, “Shoot your shot, Miss Danvers.”

Grinning, Kara opened her notebook and began. She started off easy, asking Lena about hospital policies and such. With the newfound knowledge that Lena had worked in a different country, she asked for a comparison between health care systems in those places versus here.

Lena did a wonderful job at explaining the things Kara didn’t understand. She even gave Kara a few more ideas for her article. And by the end of the interview, they had both scooted to the edge of their chairs, knees lightly brushing against each other. They pretended to not notice; pretended like all of their focus was on their conversation rather than the burning sensation in the skin where they were touching.

Kara didn’t have anything else to ask, and as much as she wanted to drag out their appointment, she knew Lena had to go home. “I think I have everything I need.”

Lena looked sad, and Kara wanted so badly to stay for another hour and just talk with the woman. “There’s nothing else?”

Kara shook her head sadly, her hands stretching over the expanse of her notebook.

“Ah, okay… do you need any more sources? I can get you an interview with my medical director. I think the CEO is in this week, too. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind an interview.”

“Seriously?” Lena had to be kidding. Getting an interview with the CEO of every other hospital she talked to proved impossible. But Lena nodded, and Kara’s eyes widened, “I’d love that! Are you sure? I don’t want to bother anyone.”

Lena waved away Kara’s worry, “give me a second.”

Kara waited patiently while Lena made a phone call, talking to the person on the other end as if they'd known each other for years. Soon, Lena looked back at Kara with a bright smile, "wonderful. She'll be there tomorrow, thank you so much.” she hung up and stood to shuffle back to Kara's side, eyes never leaving the blondes as Kara stood from her chair, "hopefully you're not doing anything tomorrow afternoon because you have two back to back interviews with my medical director and the CEO."

A sudden, high pitch squeal escaped Kara's lips, lunging forward to wrap her arms around Lena’s shoulders in a tight hug.

The doctor only laughed, wrapping her arms tightly around Kara’s waist before pulling back, “I’m glad I got to see you.”

Smiling, Kara whispered, “me too,” their close proximity suddenly the only think Kara could think of—and the fact that Lena's front was flush against her. “I, uh—” her voice quavered, and she looked down into the sliver of space between their bodies, “thank you. I really appreciate you doing this for me.” She looked up to see the gentlest of smiles adorning Lena’s lips, and her head gravitated forward just the slightest bit, arms falling from Lena’s shoulders to rest her palms on the sleeves covering the doctor’s biceps.

“Anything for you,” Lena whispered, her own head falling forward just the slightest bit.

Kara wanted to kiss Lena more than anything, but she couldn’t find it in herself to close the remaining distance. Her breath hitched when Lena moved forward, her eyes closing. The feeling of soft lips pressed gently into her cheek made Kara open her eyes, and she watched Lena pull back, a kind smile tugging at her lips.

“I’ll see you later,” Lena whispered.

Kara stepped back and fiddled with her glasses, ducking her head to try and conceal her blush. Lena walked her to the exit, giving Kara one last hug that left Kara’s heart drumming in her chest as she walked to her car. She hoped that her courage would come the following weekend.

 

* * *

  


Kara’s meeting with Lena’s medical director, a taller woman whose name Kara learned was Samantha, had been moving along... interestingly. She had a sweet smile and a weirdly maternal ambiance as she asked Kara a variety of questions pertaining to her health. She spotted the picture of Samantha and a young girl who Kara assumed was her daughter, and it explained a _lot._

“Have you been out of the country within the last year?” Kara blinked at the woman a few times, wondering what that question and every single one before it had anything to do with her interview. Samantha broke out into a fit of giggles and she sat back in her chair, “I’m just messing with you.”

“Oh—good. I mean, the answer would have been no, but—” Kara laughed, motioning towards her notepad.

Sam smiled, sitting up in her most professional position, “right, sorry. I’ve never been interviewed for a magazine, so just—hit me.”

Kara chuckled and shook her head, “I just have a few simple questions, nothing too deep.” She waited for Sam to get comfortable before asking her first question, and Kara started off simple, “how did you get to where you are now?”

Sam twisted in her chair as she recalled the past, “huh, well, I was an ER doctor in a children’s hospital in Metropolis for a few years, then my daughter and I moved here. I was overqualified for the hospitalist position, and they were out a medical director… so here I am.”

“What were your priorities when you were an ER doctor?” Kara's eyebrows came together to form a crinkle as she concentrated, scribbling down Sam’s last response. When Sam didn't respond, Kara looked up and smiled, letting Sam know she could continue.

“The children,” Sam answered almost immediately. “It’s a hospital… sick people come in and you have to help them get better, and that's what I did.”

Kara hummed in approval at the response. She asked Sam about her experiences as an ER doctor, unprepared for the long list of the pediatricians experience. Her stomach tightened when Sam recounted stories of parents left the ER with one less child. Sam’s expression was distant, cold, as she told Kara about some of the worst cases she’d seen. She explained gruesome things in great detail as if they were discussing something trivial like the weather, and Kara’s hand froze as she just sat and listened.

Kara found herself thinking she could never stomach any of it. Did all doctors experience death so much that it just became a part of the job—another bullet in the job description? She hoped Lena didn't face any of those situations. She knew better than to ask, but still, she wondered.

Sam sensed Kara’s discomfort and she leaned forward, watching Kara with a careful stare, “you okay?” Kara only nodded, “look, most healthcare professionals won't touch anything that has to do with children because seeing them hurt is the most heartbreaking thing in the world. But someone has to do it. I was lucky that I only had to do it for a few years before I came here. It messes with you—especially when you have a child of your own to look after.”

Kara looked back at the picture on Sam’s desk, and the woman turned to look at the picture as well, “her name’s Ruby,” Sam smiled, “she's the reason why I decided to work in a children’s hospital. She was born prematurely. Doctors don’t usually trust other doctors to care for their children, so you could imagine how on edge I was when they were caring for her… I decided to switch specialties when I returned to work.” 

“How do you find time for her?” that wasn’t a question Kara planned on asking at all. Deep down she wanted to know if it was possible—if having a life with someone you love when having the schedule of a doctor is doable.

Sam shrugged at the woman, “we do something together on my days off. Even if it’s just sitting in bed all day watching movies together, I make sure she feels like I’m part of her life.”

Kara nodded, mostly to herself, and she glanced down at her notebook. Her time wore thin, and she needed to ask a few more questions. They steered the interview back in the right direction, and Kara thanked Sam profusely when the woman gave her a few phone numbers to call for more sources.

“Can I ask _you_ a question?” Sam stopped Kara before she stood up, and Kara found herself settling back into her chair, motioning for Sam to continue. “Lena—what do you like about her, exactly?”

“Excuse me?”

Sam’s eyes went wide at the clear irritation in Kara’s voice, “sorry, that might sound weird coming from her boss. Um… I haven’t always been Lena’s boss; that was a very recent thing. We’ve been best friends for _years,_ her and I.”

Kara nodded, relaxing in her chair. Lena didn’t mention her and Sam’s friendship. “I didn’t mean to sound so…” she trailed off and looked at Sam apologetically.

“No worries, I get it. And you actually don’t have to answer that.”

Kara chuckled, holding her notebook loosely in her hands. Lena talked about her, then... huh. “No, no, it’s okay. I’m just a little surprised that you know I exist, I guess. But, uh… she’s just, you know, Lena.” Kara blushed, opting to look down at the spine of her notebook instead of at Sam’s watchful brown eyes. “Well, she’s not _just_ Lena. She’s—she’s so smart and kind, and witty… she’s strong-willed, and she just kind of pulled me in, I guess.”

Sam nodded softly, her smile growing as Kara explained further. “Well, it’s really good to know you’re not just in it for the money.”

They laughed, and Kara stood up to leave for real that time, thanking Sam again for the help.

One down, one to go.

She took a deep, steadying breath before setting off towards the CEO’s office.

Luckily the interview with the CEO, Miranda Crane, went as smooth as Kara could hope for. Her personality was sweet overall but when she didn't want to answer a question she made it  _very_ clear. She wasn’t afraid to tell Kara no to answering something, which happened quite often. She never relented when Kara tried prodding for an answer, but she _did_ give Kara a useful piece of information about something else that _“can’t be twisted by the public,”_ in Crane’s words.

When Kara had squeezed out every piece of information she could, she wrapped things up, thanking Crane for her time.

“Well, I can’t say no to my brightest physician. You should really be thanking your friend.”

Kara’s pride soared at the mention of Lena being called bright by the CEO, and she nodded with a bright smile.

She thought of _many_ different ways she could thank Lena. __A kiss definitely wasn't one of those ways.

Or maybe it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of the extra characters are actual DC characters. Miranda Crane isn't the CEO of a hospital, but she's a doctor in the comics :o


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to show a little of what Lena does at work before their upcoming date  
> Sam tries in very subtle ways to play matchmaker and I'm not mad at her for it  
> Also, that date is next chapter

By Monday, Kara had one of the best articles she’d ever written turned into her boss. She sent a copy to Lena in the afternoon as promised, anticipating the doctor's insight. She’d never written about healthcare before, but the experience proved to be a kind of ‘new beginning’ for Kara. She decided to try and write about new subjects, opting to kill two birds with one stone and get together with Winn and James to get some ideas for taking an artistic route for her next article.

James was more than happy to list off a few of his buddies, even offering to let Kara take a look at some of his more political pieces of photography. “I used to frequent a lot of protests so I have some really great shots from those if you wanna see them.”

“Really? That’d be great, thanks!” It was nearing seven and Lena would soon wake up, so Kara pulled out her phone to shoot Lena a text real quick.

“Oooh, texting someone with _that_ smile on your face?” Winn sipped his drink with raised eyebrows, “are you seeing someone?”

Kara set her phone face-down and fiddled with her glasses, “not really…” both men just raised their eyebrows at her in disbelief, and Kara sighed, “kind of? Our schedules are very… difficult. And—its just really hard to see each other.” She tapped her nails against the sides of her class nervously, thinking about how busy Lena’s been the past few weeks.

James offered his kindest smile, the one that never failed to reassure Kara that he was willing to give his full support, “does he have a name?”

Kara blushed immediately, “It’s not, um— _her_ name is Lena Luthor.” Her eyes flitted between Winn and James, trying desperately to gauge their reactions.

“Luthor, like… like your doctor?” Winn cocked his head curiously at Kara, recalling the image of the doctor.

Kara nodded.

“Oh. Well, no wonder her schedule’s so difficult.” James smiled into the rim of his cup as he sipped his beer, “you’ll make it work—no doubt.”

Kara broke out into a smile, grateful for the support her friends didn’t hesitate to give her. She sipped her drink between conversation, indulging in stories about the newest addition to her life. Kara grew warmer and warmer with every story she told about Lena—maybe because of the alcohol, but maybe because Kara really did like Lena.

By the end of the night the trio retreated back to their apartments and Kara was left in her bed, staring up at her ceiling. Images of Lena from their most recent encounter flashed all over dark walls, and Kara hummed as she settled into her bed.

A text interrupted her thoughts, and she smiled at the text from Lena, _“good night (morning)! Sorry this text came so late, but I decided to read your article first thing and it was wonderful! Seriously, Kara. You outdid yourself with this one, I’m so proud of you.”_

Kara’s eyes lingered on the last sentence, a feeling that she could only describe as light and bubbly forming in her throat. Lena Luthor, M.D., proud of Kara? Lena Luthor; someone who spent years studying to become a _doctor,_ who had two specialties, who worked as a traveling physician for a year in various foreign countries, and who was the most intelligent woman Kara had ever encountered; proud of _Kara?_

Kara definitely wanted to hear those five words more often. Way more often.

 

* * *

 

 

A familiar beeping sound that Kara had grown to hate ripped her from a dream, unrelenting in its mission to beep incessantly until Kara woke enough to stop it. She grumbled as she turned over in her bed, bleary-eyed and hair disheveled as she reached over to stop her alarm.

The bright light streaming into her bedroom kept her from falling back asleep, and she stared up at her ceiling, building up the energy to reach for her phone and check for the one thing that never failed to get her up in the morning.

_“Good morning! I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.”_

Kara blinked a few times at the text. _Tomorrow…_ “Oh my god,” Kara threw the covers to the side and bolted upright. _Tomorrow._ Her date with Lena was tomorrow—Kara was going to go over to Lena’s apartment _tomorrow_ and have dinner with her, and eat kale, and stare into those gorgeous green eyes—and, wow. Kara smiled to herself, standing up to stretch and get ready for work.

Her day didn’t drag on for the first time in what felt like weeks. She and Lena texted back and forth, and Kara was unhappy to find out Lena didn’t sleep at all the previous night in favor of sleeping in the on-call room during her shift tonight so she could wake up at a normal time.

_“Surely you won’t get enough sleep like that…”_

_“I’ll get at least six hours if the night is slow. It’ll be worth it in the morning.”_

Kara chuckled despite her frustration at Lena’s carelessness, going about the rest of her workday. She was in the middle of typing out a rough draft of her article when a call from Alex interrupted her, “hey, what’s up?”

_“Uh, nothing, just calling to make sure you remember that you have a date tomorrow.”_

Kara scoffed indignantly, “I definitely didn’t forget.”

_“You excited?”_

“I…” a lump formed in Kara’s throat and she tried to swallow it. Excited? Sure—but that didn’t feel like the most accurate way to describe how Kara was feeling about tomorrow.

Alex chuckled softly, pulling Kara from her thoughts, _“you’re scared, huh?”_ Kara didn’t respond, only hummed quietly. _“I was scared to go on my first date with Maggie. Horrified. But Maggie was someone I was willing to face my fears for.”_

“How do you always know what to say?” Kara chuckled, a newfound feeling of determination in her heart.

 _“Older sister powers. We all have them.”_ Alex hummed. _“I have to get back to work. But, hey—you better text me throughout your date. I need updates.”_

“And you’ll get them. Night, sis.”

_“Night. Love you.”_

They hung up, and Kara looked at the words on her screen, staring at the flash of the cursor. It was almost time for her to go home for the night, but in all honesty, she didn’t want to sit at home and do nothing, because doing nothing would lead to thinking, and thinking lead to Lena. Kara decided to stay in her office a little longer and work on her article.

 

* * *

 

 

The sterile hospital smell hit Lena first thing every single time she came into work. She slipped her lab coat on as she clocked in for the night, setting off to find the day shift doctor and get report on her patients.

“It should be a good night. You have one patient in the ICU who came in this morning from anaphylactic shock from a wasp sting,” Lena’s mind automatically went to Kara, back to when the only visible part of the blonde was her hair peeking out of the mountain of pillows. She smiled slightly at the memory, pursing her lips when Dr. Jace looked at her quizzically but continued on with her report. “Oh, and the cardiologist wanted you to review bed 312’s ECG. He said something about A. Fib.”

Lena nodded and flipped to the patient’s chart, skimming over bits of her information. “Of course, thank you.”

Her night went on as usual, taking a bit to read over her patient's charts and come up with some notes before visiting with the ones she hadn’t seen before. The test results for a patient previously diagnosed with latent tuberculosis came back positive for active TB, and Lena had to go give him the results. Her least favorite part about her job was breaking bad news to good people.

When Lena put on all of the isolation gear she stepped through the threshold of the negative pressure room, staying at least three feet away from the patient who had looked up at Lena with a smile, “hey there.”

Lena blinked a few times at the man, surprised to see someone as happy as he was, “Hello, I’m Doctor Luthor—I’m the immunologist. Can you tell me your name?”

“Sure! John Meredith.” He smiled at Lena, and it made it that much harder for Lena to break the news to him. “So, you’re here to tell me it’s active TB now, right?”

Lena froze for a moment. Well, at least she didn’t have to break the news. “Correct… I’m sorry, but we _are_ going to have to keep you here until you’re not infectious.”

He shrugged nonchalantly, “as long as I don’t die, it’s all good. I guess this is what I get for not taking the rest of my meds.”

Lena nodded, going over the details with him before leaving the room and stripping off her gown and mask. “That went well,” she mumbled to herself as she washed her hands, drying them carefully before retrieving her charts.

She spent what felt like hours punching in orders and discussing treatment options with a few other doctors, deciding to knock out a few major tasks before retreating to the on-call room. As she settled into the cot, she pulled out her phone, smiling at the text from Kara from a few hours ago.

_“I’m off to bed, but I’ll see you in the afternoon, doctor.”_

Lena tapped out, _“goodnight, Kara. I’ll text you in the morning.”_ and when her exhaustion finally kicked in, she fell asleep in an instant. Kara frequented her dreams, vivid images of the blonde playing behind closed eyelids. She was beautiful, even in Lena’s dreams.

She woke only when the sound of her pagers incessant beeping woke Lena up from her slumber, and she rolled over to grab it out of her pocket. The words “rapid response” sent her sprinting to the rapid response room, and she entered the door to find a team of people rushing around the room, tending to an older woman who sat hunched over on a bed. She looked completely out of it, her skin unusually pale. Lena joined everyone and was quick to reassure the woman that everything was okay when she brokenly asked what was going on.

She found out from the respiratory therapist the woman held her breath when he went to draw her blood gas, causing her heart rate and blood pressure to drop significantly. It quickly became a race to get the woman's vitals steady, and Lena's heart broke when she was informed that the woman was blind, realizing she must have been terrified. She gave some instructions to the staff and reassuringly rubbed the patients back, telling her in a gentle tone what was happening and letting her know she'd be feeling better in no time.

The woman reacted very well to Lena's gentle words, her heartbeat steadying to a normal rhythm. Everyone stilled at the sight, the room becoming calm. Lena turned to a nurse after a moment, "it was just a vasovagal response from her probably holding her breath when getting her blood drawn. We're going to stay right here with you and when you're better we'll take a trip back to your room, okay?" she gently squeezed the woman's hands in her own, smiling when she heard a faint "okay" from her.

She told a few people they could go, leaving just her, a nurse, and the respiratory therapist to keep an eye on the woman. Lena fetched a piece of paper and took notes, grabbing the woman's name from her wristband. "Well, miss Paula-Jean, let's get you back to your room. Would you like some juice?" she nodded, and Lena made sure to grab her a juice cup when Paula was settled back into her bed, retreating to the nurse's station to chart the incident, pausing to look at the time. Lena slept for four hours. It was nearing five in the morning, so she decided to go ahead and do her rounds, checking up on the patients that were awake. Luckily everyone was alright and there wasn’t any new information for Lena to share, so she decided to squeeze in a little bit more sleep before her last rounds.

Thinking of Kara before bed wasn't a rare occurrence; by now it was expected. So when Lena closed her eyes with the thought of her and Kara sitting together, a movie playing on her TV, she found herself falling fast asleep.

 

* * *

 

  

A pillow hitting her chest woke Lena, and she shot a glare to the woman standing beside her cot, “Sam? What the hell are you doing here?”

Sam grinned at the woman, coming to sit next to Lena. “I came in here to steal some mints and I found you sleeping,” she shrugged.

“Did it ever occur to you that I wanted to _stay_ asleep?” Lena grumbled and turned over in her cot, facing the wall instead of Sam.

“It did, but I snooped a little when your phone buzzed and I saw Kara’s name on your phone. She just texted you.” Sam nodded at the phone sitting next to Lena’s head.

Lena eyed Sam suspiciously as she reached for her phone, looking away only to stare at the notification from Kara. _“I woke up for some reason and I can’t go back to sleep. What a great time for my nerves to settle in. How’s work?”_

She tried not to smile at her phone, aware that Sam was waiting for any kind of reaction that would give her an excuse to tease Lena. _“It’s been busier than I expected. I just had a rough encounter with a sweet old lady, but she’s doing fine now! It’s still really early, why don’t you try and go back to sleep?”_

Lena locked her phone and looked back at Sam, who was still watching her expectantly.

A long stretch of silence filled the air between them before Sam quickly sat down by Lena’s legs, “So? How are things with you two?”

Lena groaned, taking her pillow and covering her face with it, “ _Sam_.” The brunette nudged Lena with her elbow, making it clear she wasn’t going to leave Lena alone until she spilled. “Fine. It’s—well, I don’t actually know. We have a date today—”

“Seriously? What are you guys doing?”

Lena removed the pillow, glaring at Sam for her interruption. “We’re watching a movie at my place and then I’m going to make her dinner. That’s _it._ ”

Sam hummed then, scrunching her face slightly as she spoke, “you know, I’ve never _ever_ heard of you inviting anyone over to your place. I’ve known you for seven years and I’ve only been over there _twice._ ”

“So?”

“So, you’re serious about her and you’re just trying to play it off as you’re not.” Sam grinned when Lena could only open and close her mouth a few times in response. _Busted._ Instead of teasing Lena for it, like the doctor expected, Sam patted her gently on the thigh so Lena could sit up and let Sam sit fully on the bed, wrapping her arm around Lena’s shoulders. “Have you considered my offer? About switching to day shift?”

Lena sighed, staring down at her knees, “I don’t want to switch over for the wrong reasons, Sam.”

“Oh, come on! Think of how much more time you’ll have to see her.”

“I know—I just… I don’t know if I’m ready to alter my life to accommodate someone else just yet.” Lena sank back against the wall, shrugging when Sam grimaced at her. Sam was right; Lena would have a normal schedule. She’d be able to see Kara more often—even get to have a little bit more freedom with her schedule… but what If things with Kara didn’t work out? Then switching over would be useless.

“The offer still stands. And Lena, as your friend, I really think you should take it.” Sam gave Lena a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder before she moved off the cot, waving her goodbye when she left the on-call room.

Lena was left alone in silence, only her thoughts there to keep her company.

A text from Kara stole Lena’s attention, and her heart fluttered when she saw the text reading, _“I’m going to. I’m just really excited to see you, I guess.”_

 _“I’m excited, too.”_ Lena smiled softly at her phone before shoving it in her pocket, scooting out of the cot to stand, grabbing her lab coat off the end of the cot and putting it back on. Her shift was nearly over, and she still had a few more things to do before getting her report ready for the day shift doctors.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, thanks for reading guys! I still have a bit before this story is done, but I'm glad so many people are enjoying this so far. I just started school back up and I work full time as well so I may not be able to update as frequently as I used to, but the updates will come!  
> Also, thanks to everyone who's commented so far!!! I read them all and I love that you're all enjoying this. Keep them coming, I love them.  
> Anyways, here's the date. I'm breaking it up into two parts, so part two should be up next weekend.

Heart pounding in her chest, Kara stood just outside Lena’s apartment. She balled her fist in preparation to knock on Lena’s door, hesitating. _‘My hands are sweaty. Oh my gosh, what if she notices? I should wipe them off,’_ she quickly wiped her hands on her trousers, putting a fist back up to the door, knocking tentatively. _‘Oh gosh. Oh gosh. I can hear her footsteps—oh gosh-‘_

“Hey!” the door opened quickly, a bright red dress clinging to Lena’s sides the first thing Kara noticed—and then Kara blushed, realizing she’d been staring at Lena’s body for a few seconds too long. Lena’s hair looked silkier than normal as it flowed smoothly down her shoulders.

Kara struggled to get a word out as she gawked at Lena, “you look—wow.” Kara gave Lena a once over before beaming up at the doctor, walking in when Lena invited her in with a laugh. She took her shoes off by the door and followed Lena to her living room where a movie was already set up, the smell of popcorn growing stronger and stronger as they neared the couch. Kara laughed at Lena’s choice of movie, picking up the case to _“The Proposal”_.

“You haven’t seen it, right? I think I remember you saying you haven’t, but you wanted to.” Lena’s eyes were unsure as she looked at the movie in Kara’s hands, fingers nervously tapping against each other.

Kara’s heart swelled at the sight of Lena standing there nervously, and she smiled gently, setting the case down on the coffee table, “I haven’t. This is perfect, Lena. Really.”

Lena seemed to relax, and she motioned for Kara to sit down before starting the movie. They discussed their plans for the day as a few previews played; two movies and then Kara would help Lena cook dinner, which included handmaking lasagna that included kale.

Kara’s nerves caught up to her when Lena finished getting comfortable next to her, the bowl of popcorn resting in Kara’s lap. Lena reached over for a handful, Kara hyperaware of the gesture. Every time Lena reached over for another handful, Kara’s attention shifted to the rustling in the bowl, the movie forgotten until Lena’s hand left her vicinity.

Eventually, Kara set the bowl down on the coffee table, settling back into her spot. The sudden shift from next to her caused Kara to look over at Lena, a laugh escaping her when Lena began struggling with the hem of her dress.

Lena caught wind of Kara’s amusement and blushed slightly, still trying to pull her dress down. “I’m sorry—I wanted to look nice for you, but this dress is terrible for watching movies in. I’ll be right back.” She stood up and retreated down the hallway.

Kara paused the movie and waited patiently, the sudden silence leaving her to get lost in her thoughts. Lena looked _really_ good in that dress, sure, but out of it would be so much better. _“Jesus,”_ Kara mumbled, taking a deep breath, attempting to rid her mind of the onslaught of mature thoughts.

It didn’t take long for the sound of footsteps approaching to cause Kara to look back at the source of the sound, breath hitching at the sight of Lena walking up to her, sweatpants and short white t-shirt hanging loosely from her torso. That dress was gorgeous, yes, but Lena Luthor in sweats and a shirt that exposed a sliver of the skin over her hip was a sight to behold.

Lena plopped down next to Kara, close enough so their thighs were touching, and she watched Kara for a moment. “You’re staring at me,” she teased, vibrant green eyes flitting around Kara’s face, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Kara cleared her throat, not diverting her gaze from Lena, “I am.”

Lena gravitated closer to Kara, their eyes never leaving each other. They stayed like that for what felt like hours before a look that Kara couldn’t quite explain flashed across Lena’s face, and the doctor inched away, gesturing towards the remote, “are you going to hit play?”

“Oh,” Kara found the remote and hit play, trying to focus on the movie instead of the feeling that followed Lena’s words. There was an air of uncertainty between them, and Kara didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know what she _could_ do.

Lena shifted next to her, hesitating slightly before she settled into Kara’s side, and soon they were full on cuddling on Lena’s sofa, the movie and Kara’s nervousness nearing their end. She made a decision somewhere in between Lena’s side nuzzling into Kara’s and the final scene to screw her nerves—screw being afraid because every single conversation during the past few months, every single day spent wishing for _this_ was not going to be for nothing.

“On to the next one?” Lena went to sit up, but a hand to her shoulder stopped her. She looked at Kara, seeing a range of emotions flash across her face, and she settled back into the blonde. She made it easy for Kara, bringing her nose mere centimeters away from Kara’s. It was clear Lena was trying to give Kara a little push without making her feel pressured in any way, and it was the most considerate thing anyone had done for Kara in a long time.

Kara’s heart pumped rapidly, her breath coming out slow and steady and she looked at every single piece of Lena—the way her hair framed her face, or how she had little flecks of blue hiding around her pupils, and the scar just under a perfectly sculped eyebrow. The last thing Kara looked at before her body took over was Lena’s pale lips, and her last thought the question of how soft they were.

The answer was _really_ soft.

Lena hummed into the kiss, hands coming up to cup Kara’s cheeks, deepening it as she pushed forward.

Kara let herself be pushed into the plush cushions of Lena’s sofa, a squeak escaping her throat when Lena’s knees found either side of Kara’s hips, lips absorbing the sound.

Lena broke the kiss suddenly, a look of concern crossing her features, “are you okay?”

“Fine,” Kara husked, pulling Lena back down and planting a hard kiss into her lip that was returned with gusto as Lena’s hands found either side of Kara’s face, desperate for any form of contact. Kara’s fingertips snaked down Lena’s back, pulling her closer until their bodies lay flush against each other, smiling into Lena’s lips with the doctor’s breath hitched as Kara touched an exposed sliver of skin on Lena’s spine.

Lena’s fingers found the top button of Kara’s simple blue shirt, expertly undoing it, then the second, then the third, and the fourth before the feeling of Kara’s fingers on Lena’s bare skin at her sides threatened to drive her mad, and Lena grabbed at Kara’s wrists, swiftly pinning them against the arm of the sofa. She didn’t give Kara time to react before her lips were trailing down to the freshly exposed skin of Kara’s collarbone.

“Lena,” Kara muttered between ragged breaths, effortlessly pulling a hand free from Lena’s grip to find the doctors shoulder and push her back slightly. She couldn’t think straight, and Kara really wanted to slow things down before diving into what they were clearly about to.

Lena ceased her actions at the feeling, sitting up slightly to look at Kara. “I—I’m sorry—”

“Don’t apologize, I… I want this…” Kara trailed off, an apology of her own written across her face.

“I sense a ‘but’ in there.”

Kara chuckled, shifting so she was sitting up again, _“but,_ I think we should maybe try to get through at least one full date before…” she glanced down at her half-buttoned shirt, flushing slightly.

Lena hummed in agreement, saying, “I agree,” before glancing back at the TV. “Why don’t we watch something? To be perfectly honest I don’t think I’ll be able to focus on another movie after _that_ , so why don’t you find a show for us on Netflix?”

Kara smiled at Lena’s usage of _‘us’,_ taking the remote and flipping through Netflix while Lena stood to go to the kitchen and get them both glasses of water. A devious grin broke out across Kara’s face as she hovered over one show in particular, and she clicked on the very first episode. Her laugh was unrelenting when Lena came in, looking at Kara in horror when she noticed the title on the screen.

“No. We are _not_ starting Grey’s Anatomy.” She reached out to take the remote from Kara, who held it out of her reach and quickly pressed play. “Kara, _no,”_ she pleaded.

“Lena _yes.”_ Kara grinned, hiding the remote between her and the armrest before settling into the couch, ignoring Lena’s exasperated groan.

Not even five minutes into the first episode, Lena was already fact checking every single thing about it, “no one is _that_ mean to residents. Nothing is this dramatic.” She huffed, sinking into Kara’s side. After another ten minutes during a scene between the residents, Lena sat up, gesturing dramatically towards the TV, “that’s actually _very_ accurate,” she laughed, referring to a resident who was trying to make conversation, albeit very awkwardly, “it took me almost a year to relearn my social skills after spending almost five years with a stack of books as my best friend.”

Kara laughed, enjoying every single one of Lena’s little comments more than the show. When the doctor started getting huffy again, Kara tried to calm her by slipping her hand into Lena’s. It worked for a few minutes until Lena was frustratedly shouting at the scene playing out before them of a lost resident wheeling around a patient.

“I have _never_ transported a patient alone—we have nurses, _transport_ , respiratory—lots of people! Who the hell thinks this stuff is accurate? This is…” she relaxed against Kara, grumbling quietly to herself. Her green eyes shot back to Kara when the blonde started laughing beside her, and she blushed slightly, “I’m sorry.”

“No, no… it’s really cute. I can tell you take your job _very_ seriously,” she bit her lip as she stared at Lena, noticing the deep shade of crimson coloring her cheeks.

Lena rolled her eyes and looked back at the show, settling quietly into Kara for the last time until the show ended. “Well, that wasn’t so bad.”

Kara busted into a fit of laughter from that statement, “you spent the _entire_ time huffing about it, and you’re gonna say it wasn’t _bad?”_ No matter how hard she tried to breathe away the laughter, she kept breaking out into a fit of giggles at the incredulous look on Lena’s face. “Okay,” she breathed slowly for a moment, “I’m done.”

Lena smiled at the sight of Kara trying to pull herself together, looking behind Kara’s head at the clock hanging on the wall. It was past four in the afternoon, and Lena had to make all of the ingredients for dinner from scratch. She stood up from her spot next to Kara, grasping each of the blonde's hands and gently pulling her up from the couch, “If you’re done with your hysterics, I think it’s time we start making the lasagna.”

“Is it?” Kara smiled, letting herself be pulled up by the doctor whose smile matched her own. Lena nodded, a familiar warmth resonating in Kara’s chest as she stood on the tips of her toes to press a short kiss into Lena’s lips. “Lead the way.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not do my usual rewrite for this chapter because boy am I busy, so it may be a little :/  
>  Still, I hope you enjoy part two of the date.  
> Next chapter we may get more domestic Kara and Lena. Maybe. Probably.

Maybe the uncomfortable feeling in the pit of Lena’s stomach was the nerves that never quite went away after seeing Kara standing outside her door, or maybe it was from excitement because Kara Danvers just _kissed_ her. Lena took a steadying breath behind her fridge door as she gathered the ingredients for the lasagna, bumping the door closed with her shoulder. Kara looked at her from her spot on the countertop with a toothy grin, and Lena realized the feeling in the pit of her stomach was _definitely_ both.

She set her armful of ingredients down on the countertop beside Kara, containers toppling over, glancing at Kara’s choice of seating with raised eyebrows, “my mother would have a fit if she saw you.”

Kara followed Lena’s eyes to her thighs and shrugged nonchalantly, “well, it’s a good thing you aren’t as strict.”

“Well…” Lena chuckled, hands coming to either side of Kara’s thighs. She didn’t miss the way Kara leaned forward just slightly in anticipation, but she had other plans for her countertops at the moment, “while there are _many_ uses for countertops that, in my book, does include sitting, right now I think lasagna trumps your desire to sit on my marble.” She smiled up at the blonde and pulled gently on a pouting Kara’s legs to get her to jump down, shoving a container of ricotta cheese in her hands, “can you combine all the ingredients?”

Kara nodded and turned around to sort through the plethora of ingredients. Lena left her to sort it out while she preheated the oven and buttered up a pan. She looked back to see how Kara was doing to see a very flustered blonde fumbling around with a couple small bowls and a can of tomato sauce. “Are you alright?”

“I, um,” Kara set everything down, blush very apparent, “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“Oh.” Lena stepped in immediately and put everything for the ricotta mixture into a pile, “Here—I’m sorry, I make lasagna so much, it didn’t even cross my mind that you didn’t.” Kara’s lips tugged up into a smile, and Lena found herself swallowing down the ball of nerves crawling up her throat. “So, um… the ricotta.”

“Right.” Kara looked away from Lena and at the wide range of foods covering the countertop.

“Just get a cup of ricotta, an egg, a fourth cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano, lemon zest from an entire lemon, and some seasoning into a bowl and mix it all together. Can you do that?”

Kara’s eyes were laced with determination as she nodded, already setting about measuring out the ricotta.

Lena stepped away to put the lasagna noodles into boiling water and begin making the meat sauce.

Everything went well for about five minutes until Lena looked over to see Kara holding up the block of Parmigiano-Reggiano with a confused look on her face. Lena chuckled and grabbed the cheese grater, handing it to Kara. “Have you ever had pure Parmigiano-Reggiano?”

“Nope, but I’ve heard you say it twice now and it sounds _delicious_.” Kara smiled up at Lena, eliciting a bright smile from the doctor. “Oh, not the cheese. Just the way you say the name of the cheese.”

“Really?” Lena couldn’t stop the smile that pulled against the corners of her lips as she pulled a piece of cheese off the block, holding it out to Kara’s lips, “Well, in that case, why don’t you have a bite of this delicious _sounding_ Parmigiano-Reggiano?” She didn’t hesitate to pop the piece of cheese between Kara’s lips when the blonde just opened her mouth expectantly.

Kara chewed for a long moment before looking down suddenly, a blush coloring her cheeks. Her eyes floated back up to Lena’s as she swallowed, a quiet “delicious” escaping her lips just before her hands reached out to pull Lena in for a rough kiss. Three weeks of pent-up frustration oozed from their lips as they forgot about the lasagna, taking in as much of each other as possible.

Three weeks of never-ending shifts; three weeks without the company of blonde hair and bright blue eyes and a smile that radiates warmth and happiness was too long. Three weeks and there they were, kissing each other in the middle of Lena’s kitchen like they had been starved of human touch for years.

Lena loved every bit of it, but her oven did not. She pulled back, laughing into Kara’s lips when she followed her movements, “Kara—the noodles.”

Kara sighed into Lena’s lips and stepped back, breath coming out ragged as she wiped at her lower lip, “I don’t know where that came from.”

Lena couldn’t help but laugh, a feeling that she could only describe as light overtaking her when Kara smiled at her. “Shall we continue?” when Kara nodded, she quickly retrieved the pot of boiling noodles, the starchy smell of the noodles coming up with the steam as she drained the water into the sink. She poured cold water over them and helped Kara finish up her ricotta mixture.

They finished the lasagna, only stealing a minimal number of kisses in between putting the layers down. Kara only scrunched her nose slightly in disgust when Lena added the leaves of kale, and soon the last layer of sauce was added, and the dish was pushed into the oven to bake for almost an hour.

Lena ushered Kara to the living room to sit down and encouraged her to sit down and relax while she got the table ready, not budging when Kara insisted on helping. “I have something special planned and I can’t have you spoiling the surprise with your consideration. Sit down, relax, watch another episode of Grey’s Anatomy if you _really_ must.” She kissed Kara on the forehead before trotting off towards the dining room, a blush creeping up her neck at the memory of the past few hours.

She took the time alone to reflect on what she _really_ wanted. This was supposed to be fun, but the more Lena talked to Kara, fun wasn’t the only thing she wanted from Kara. She wanted Kara’s good morning texts, her nightly rants about work, her bright smile that looked way better in person than on a screen, and she just wanted more of Kara in general.

Lena pulled out her phone to look at the time. Sam was definitely awake. She stared at her best friends contact name for a few long minutes, torn between whether she was actually going to make the call or not.

“Lena, are you sure you don’t need help?”

Kara’s voice was gentle, quiet as it carefully took Lena’s attention away from her phone. Lena put the device in her pocket and walked over to peek her head into the living room, a sweet smile spreading through her lips at the sight of Kara curled up on the couch with Lena’s favorite blanket wrapped around her, another episode of Grey’s Anatomy playing. “I’m very sure. You can come eat when that episode is finished.”

Kara huffed slightly and looked back at the TV, “fine.”

The blondes huffy attitude was a small reminder of the first night Kara spent in the hospital. Lena remembered the disgruntled sigh that escaped her lips when Lena started pushing the obscene amount of pillows to the floor, finding Kara’s mild irritation mixed with a heavy dose of confusion a little endearing. What she didn’t know that day was how much the blonde would just _stick._ Her tenacious personality stuck to Lena like glue, and Lena didn’t mind in the slightest. She had no idea it would lead to _this—_ to Kara Danvers laying on her couch wrapped in a fluffy green blanket while watching a medical drama that Lena didn’t hate as much she made it seem.

It was exhilarating to have someone in her life like Kara, but it was also terrifying. The potential for things to turn out good was almost outweighed by the potential for things to turn out worse than Lena could imagine, but still, Lena wanted to try for the good. Kara was good, and she made Lena _feel_ good, and like Lena was a worthwhile doctor that did actual _good_ work. She hadn’t felt that way about her job since the end of her residency four years ago.

Lena got lost in her thoughts as she set the table, breaking out dinner plates and wine glasses she hadn’t touched in years. She bought a bottle of Aglianico del Taburno wine years ago for a special occasion, and this felt like the right one.

There was a kind of momentum to the night that was propelling Lena in new directions, and she knew that Kara was the driving force.

As Lena straightened out the cutlery beside Kara’s plate for the umpteenth time, the blondes footsteps drew Lena’s attention to the dining room entrance. Kara’s head poked cautiously around the corner, body coming into full view as Kara stepped slowly into the room, eyes wandering over filled wine glasses and perfect square pieces of lasagna laying neatly on both of their plates.

Nervousness crept up Lena’s throat in the form of a lump, and she tried swallowing it down as Kara stepped closer to her, blue eyes full of a wide range of emotions that Lena couldn’t pin. She ran her hands over the fabric of her sweats, suddenly self-conscious because Kara looked really nice in her lavender button-up and black slacks and Lena was just in sweatpants and a t-shirt.

“You okay?”

Kara’s gentle eyes interrupted Lena’s nervousness, every ounce of it dissolving at the sight of Kara smiling softly at her. “Yes. You look really nice, and I’m—” Lena gestured to her outfit, a bashful smile creeping up her lips.

Kara glanced over Lena’s clothed, eyes widening suddenly, “oh, hold on! Give me like, two minutes.”

Lena couldn’t even respond before Kara was shuffling out the dining room and down the hallway. She heard a door close—presumably the bathroom—then open a few minutes later. Kara appeared back in front of Lena in a flash, a dorky grin plastered on her face as she stood clad in night shorts and a comfy looking grey t-shirt. Lena blushed slightly when she realized she was staring at Kara's exposed thighs, and she promptly looked away.

“Better?”

Lena nodded, chest warming with each passing second. She tried to ignore the voice in the back of her mind that said _‘she’s a keeper’,_ but Lena was never good at avoiding the truth.

 

* * *

 

Finally, _finally,_ they sat down to eat. Lena was stressing over this a little too much. _What if Kara still hates kale? What if she hates this because she hates Kale? What if I’m just a terrible cook?_ The thoughts never ended.

Meanwhile, Kara was practically buzzing with excitement in her seat. When she finally took the first bite of the lasagna, she was genuinely shocked—first by the sudden delighted squeak that escaped her lips, then by how much she actually _loved_ the lasagna… that had _kale._ “This is—” she swallowed hard, bracing both fists containing a knife and a fork on the table as she stared intently at Lena, “ _so good._ I can't even—wow.”

Lena tried to hide her smile by taking a sip of her wine, her heart a loud reminder of how ecstatic she felt that Kara actually liked the lasagna. _Thank god._ “Yeah?” she set her wine down and took a bite, and _yeah._ It was pretty good.

“Mmh, yes. I could eat this every night. And day.” She took another bite, chewing happily in Lena’s direction for the entirety of their meal. She even admitted at one point that she may actually be able to tolerate kale--but _only_ if it was in lasagna.

It was quiet in Lena’s apartment. The sun just barely poked out of the horizon, city lights providing the majority of the light in the dining room. The lights in Lena’s apartment were dimmed, creating an air of serenity as they sat across from each other, enjoying the delicious food, amazing wine, and the company.

That was the first time they spent time together as _just_ Kara and Lena. Neither of them had anything they needed to worry about. Lena wasn’t on call, Kara didn’t have deadlines to meet. They just had the company of each other, and it was easy—it was comfortable.

Hiding beneath easy conversations and careful touches as they followed each other around to clean up after dinner was a dance they were both performing around something very important. They avoided it for as long as possible so as to not ruin the night.

Lena intended to avoid the tough conversation for one more day, but it was inevitable.

As Kara settled into Lena on the couch, another episode of Grey’s Anatomy playing, all of the dishes clean and put away, wine glasses nearly empty on the coffee table, she pressed a soft kiss into Lena’s palm that hung loosely over her shoulder. She met Lena’s gaze in the dim light of the apartment, humming quietly when Lena ran a hand carefully through blonde tresses. Her voice was just barely audible over the sound of the TV as she quietly asked, “Lena… what are we doing?”

Lena’s hand stopped its movements, looking down at Kara with a confused stare, “what do you mean?”

Kara shifted slightly so she could face Lena a little better, blue eyes careful to not entice any negative emotions, “us. What are we doing?” When Lena only blinked, Kara sighed quietly, “you’re a doctor, Lena. You work the night shift. I work during the days. I mean, our schedule is completely flipped, and I only get to talk to you for ten minutes, if I’m lucky. The last three weeks were….”

“Hard.” Lena finished for her. She smiled at Kara, reaching out to grasp the blonde’s hands in her own, fingertips gently running over knuckles. “It was _terrible,_ and to be honest, as our schedules are now, this won’t last.”

Kara’s face fell, and a quiet _“oh”_ Tumbled from her lips.

Lena was quick to reassure her with a tight squeeze to her hands, “ _however,_ I may have a solution to all of our problems.”

“Oh?”

Lena chuckled at Kara’s piqued curiosity. She was really going to do this. There’s no turning back once the words escape her lips. “I—well,” she swallowed down the hesitation, taking a deep breath before pressing on, “there’s a day shift position open, and I’m thinking about taking it.”

Kara’s lips parted slightly. Her face froze in the same expression for what felt like hours. Eventually, her features contorted into something resembling a smile, and she took a slow, ragged breath, “so, you’d work during the day?”

“I would. And I can choose what weekends I work. I have a lot more flexibility with my schedule because there are more day shift doctors than there are night shift ones.” She watched Kara take another deep breath, unclear as to whether her reaction was good or bad. “I haven’t taken it yet.”

Kara’s eyes focused on Lena then, “why not?”

“Because I want you to tell me you want me to.” Lena didn’t mean to say _that._ But it was the truth—because Lena would do _anything_ Kara asked her to, and making this decision by herself was impossible. She needed Kara to give her a push.

Kara blew air out of her cheeks, “I can’t just—I can’t tell you how to live your life, Lena… that’s not my place.”

Lena shrugged, “I can’t do it unless I know you want me to. Its… It’s not a decision I can make on my own.”

Kara sat there in complete silence for a long minute. Each passing second sent a wave of nerves crashing into Lena, and it was becoming unbearable. Kara inhaled as deep as she could, then let it all go before looking over at Lena and catching a soft cheek in her hand, “of course I want you to, but—”

“Don’t say anything else.” Lena placed a hand over Kara’s, pressing the reporter's hand into her cheek with a gentle smile, “I wouldn’t have considered this if it wasn’t something I wanted, so please, don’t say anything else.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Lena smiled when Kara nodded, “I’ll go call Sam, then.” She went to stand up but was stopped with a firm hand on her shoulder.

Kara guided Lena closer to her until their breaths mingled, noses grazing each other just slightly, “I think that can wait.”

Lena grinned, “I think you’re right,” and she pressed her lips into Kara’s, a profound feeling of clarity washing over her as she kissed Kara. She wanted this. She wanted more quiet nights on her couch. She wanted more of Kara and her dazzling smile, and her gorgeous eyes, and just _Kara._ So she kissed her—put every single emotion she felt into her lips as she pushed forward enough so she was on top of Kara, giggles interrupting kisses as they found a rhythm.

This. Lena could get used to this.


End file.
